Dina Sleiman ~ Dance with Passion

Prayer Series Wrap-up

2012-01-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

During the summer I did a series of posts on prayer and devotion. Then I got a little sidetracked with my debut novel release ;) But I'd like to review and collect all the posts together in order for you here. If you followed throughout the summer, you might have noticed that I used the word “prayer” in a different way than you expected. That prayer for me is not simply talking at God, but rather time spent in relationship with him. In my posts about prayer, I’ve included information about Bible reading, meditating, praise and worship, art, nature, and simply resting in God’s presence. Have you noticed that the Bible often refers to “prayers and petitions.” Sometimes I wonder if what the evangelical church has come to think of as prayer, is in fact merely the petition part.

My goal throughout the series was to equip you with a sort of “prayer toolbox.” To expose you to styles of prayer from various backgrounds and denominations, so that you could find the type of prayer that best ministers to you and best helps you find intimate relationship with your creator. So let’s go back and re-cap in case you missed anything.

With Unveiled Faces http://awesomeinspirationals.blogspot.com/2011/05/with-unveiled-faces.html In my first installment of this series, we discussed our spiritual senses, and that while we might begin by “seeing through a glass darkly,” as we spend time in God’s presence, we will view him more and more clearly “with unveiled faces.”

Divine Reading http://awesomeinspirationals.blogspot.com/2011/06/divine-reading.html Do you desire a personal word from God? This post will inspire you to ruminate on scripture looking for those special words that glimmer. Through the process of divine reading, you will be encouraged to mull over those words and hear God’s personal message for you.

Open the Eyes of My Heart http://awesomeinspirationals.blogspot.com/2011/06/open-eyes-of-my-heart.html This article discusses how to use your inner imaging system to picture meeting with God, as well as to imagine the truth of scripture in your life, thereby igniting your faith.

Shut Up and Listen! http://awesomeinspirationals.blogspot.com/2011/07/shut-up-and-listen.html Too often we focus on talking to God in prayer, but how much better to be quiet and listen for his answers. He knows our problems, and only he knows the solutions. This article will give you some practical tips for tuning your inner ear to God’s voice.

A Place to Pray http://awesomeinspirationals.blogspot.com/2011/07/place-to-pray.html Based on the assumption that prayer is meant to be enjoyed, this article will encourage you to prepare a special place to meet with God, surrounded by items that will inspire you and have you longing to return to God’s presence again and again.

A Time to Pray http://awesomeinspirationals.blogspot.com/2011/08/time-to-pray.html Discouraged by your attempts to establish a regular prayer routine? This post provides practical advice to help you incorporate prayer time into your everyday life.

Put Your Mind at Ease http://awesomeinspirationals.blogspot.com/2012/01/prayer-put-your-mind-at-ease.html In response to God’s instruction to pray with both the spirit and the understanding, this article discusses ways to relax your mind and pray from your spirit, including spontaneous artistic expression, repeated scriptures, and praying with a prayer language.

Deep and Wide http://awesomeinspirationals.blogspot.com/2011/08/deep-and-wide.html In this final installment we talked about different methods for Bible reading, prayer, and worship that help us to go both deep and wide, allowing for quality and quantity time with God.

Did you learn anything new in this series? What is the most important lesson you've ever learned about prayer? Do you have any questions about prayer or intimacy with Christ?

Prayer - Put Your Mind at Ease

2012-01-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

I just realized that my "Prayer and Devotion" series from last summer got preempted by my novel release. Here's an installment I missed. And it's a great one. Hope you enjoy :) You can check out the posts through the links on the side for now, but I hope to organize them in order soon.

¹⁵ So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. ~ I Corinthians 14:15

Last year I led a ladies Bible study for a few close friends. One of the ladies had a hard time praying. She would feel anxiety and even panic when she prayed. How sad! For this woman prayer was scary. A performance of sorts. As if God was judging her words and deciding if he would magically grant her wish or strike her with a lightning bolt for her shoddy job.

If you've been following my bi-weekly series on prayer, hopefully you already understand that prayer is not a performance. Once this woman realized that simply basking in God’s presence, merely listening to his voice, or dwelling on a scripture could be a form of prayer, things began to go much better for her.

Paul instructs us to pray with both the understanding and the spirit. There are a number of prayer techniques, used throughout the ages, that allow our minds to rest and our spiritual awareness to blossom. Let me begin this next section by saying that any hard-core conservative evangelicals might want to skip this post. Or at the very least, I would request that you remove any large rocks from your vicinity before proceeding ;)

Spontaneous Creative Expression


Risen! - by novelist Lisa Samson

Let’s start with one that shouldn’t be too scary. Art. Art is a form of communication. Anything we can do with speech, we can do through singing, dancing, painting, writing poetry, etc... And yes, through these means we can pray.

Letting your mind flow free to worship God and express your heart spontaneously through the arts can provide an amazing experience in God’s presence. Little wonder most churches begin with music. And while planned music or dancing can work well as worship and prayer, how much better to engage in our own personal artistic prayer experience. Allow your emotions to well up from within and express them to God through your chosen medium, engaging your spirit and giving your mind an opportunity to rest. Bask in the tone of the music, the color of the paint, the texture of the clay.

Some churches even allow for such expression on Sunday morning. But I encourage you to consider adding your favorite form of artistic expression to your personal time of prayer. And take a moment to enjoy this worshipful art by one of the Inkies' favorite novelists, Lisa Samson.

Repeated Scripture

Choosing a significant scripture and repeating it in a rhythmic pattern in time with your breath is a prayer technique that was used by both the ancient Hebrews and medieval Christians. This method of prayer is one of the most soothing techniques I’ve ever experienced. And it gives one a sense of entering the kingdom of God deep within.

Here are some of my favorite scriptures that I like to pray:

~“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty”

~“King of Kings and Lord of Lords”

~“In Him I live and move and have my being.”

~“Be still and know that I am God.”

~“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..”

Any short scripture of personal significance can work. As you repeat these scriptures, allow your mind to dwell on them, to picture them. Imagine what your life would look like if these scriptures were fully at realized in it. Allow them to do a work deep in your heart. Imagine the change that will take place when you truly begin to believe them.

Prayer in the Spirit

When reading I Corinthians 14:15 in context, you will discover that Paul is specifically referring to…dare I say it? I'm tempted to just call it the "t-word," but that doesn't seem right considering the New Testament refers to it on numerous occasions. Speaking in tongues had taken a bad in Christendom. And for good reason. Despite the fact that I was raised in a charismatic church, even I have held reservations about this technique, mostly because it has caused so much division in the body of Christ.

However, just because something causes controversy doesn’t make it wrong. In fact Christianity itself is quite controversial these days. The only theological argument I’ve ever heard against praying in tongues is a single scripture. And I would argue that a single scripture not taken in light of the entire word of God, at the very least, begs for reconsideration. Many churches avoid tongues not for theological reasons but because it is hard to control and has been abused. But that does mean it cannot be done decently and in order. Or even just privately at home. And who’s to say God would not like us to give up our control from time to time and give him the reigns.

As I’ve been doing this series on prayer, I’ve felt God prompting me to reexamine speaking in tongues. And it occurred to me that speaking in tongues serves the same purpose of many other prayer techniques. It eases our mind, it allows us to pray God’s words and not our own, and it is a way for the Holy Spirit to speak through us and to us. Paul prayed in tongues more than anyone around him, and maybe there is something to be learned from that.

Praying in tongues can seem intimidating because it by definition can’t be understood with the logical mind. We might worry we’re speaking gibberish, or something we heard someone else pray rather than an actual earthly or heavenly language. But Paul says in Romans 8: 26, “For we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” And I suspect it might be the release from deep in our spirit that matters more than the specifics of the words themselves.

Maybe speaking in tongues isn’t the thing for you. That’s cool. No worries. The important thing is to be open to how God is leading you to pray. However you choose to pray, remember that prayer is not a performance. Remember to pray both with your spirit and your understanding. And remember that it’s okay to put your mind at ease.

Are you able to put your mind at ease when you pray? Have you ever tried or had an experience, positive or negative, with any of these techniques? How is God leading you to pray?

Give the Gift of Good Scenes

2012-01-12T07:14:00.000-08:00

Recently, I read a book submitted to WhiteFire Publishing. Awesome voice, compelling subject, talented author. But I had to give it a "not yet" because the scenes still need work. I've turned down a number of books for this reason, although I asked this specific author to resubmit due to her skill in other areas. This made me think that perhaps for the New Year, I should give us all the gift of good scenes. Here is an excerpt from my online writing class, "The Inspiration and the Perspiration."

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Next, let’s discuss scenes. In our video based society we are used to stories coming to us in scenes. In classic books you will often find characters meandering from one time and place to another with no clear break and the narrator jumping around from one mind to another.

In contemporary fiction, a simple “***” takes us effortlessly from one time and place to another, and requires little or no explanation of how we got there. The reader understands that we are cutting to the vital information that moves the story forward. This allows the author to keep the tension high and the pages turning by eliminating a lot of fluff. In your own mind, you will want to figure out what happened in between and how the transitions occurred, but your reader needs only the briefest explanation and does not care about irrelevant details.

As you edit, make sure that each scene is doing its job in advancing the plot and/or deepening characterization. Something vital should happen in each scene. If not, cut it. If you have a scene where nothing happens but reflection, weave the relevant reflection into a different scene. If you have a scene where nothing is happening but description of an important setting, weave it into a different scene. If you have a dialogue scene that’s interesting but nothing really happens, weave the conversation into a different scene. Every scene should have tension and conflict and end with something to thrust the reader forward into the next scene.

Are you getting the point? Of course, not every single scene requires every element. Certainly stories and examples in your nonfiction will not always need every element. However, check every scene and story for places you could strengthen it by weaving in characterization, action, dialogue, inner dialogue, and description.

First when editing your scenes, decide if they’re pulling their weight, and if they earn staying in the book. Second, look for a nice balance of elements above. Also, look at the progression of your scenes. In a story, it is good to be continually moving in a cause and effect progression. You don’t want to say. “She entered the room and turned on the lights because it was dark.” Say, “She entered the dark room shrouded in nighttime terrors. Her hand scraped across rough stucco, searching the wall for the switch. Light flooded the room, chasing away the shadows…”

In the first version, “because it was dark” stops the flow of action. In the second version, it’s actually hard to find a stopping place. One sentence flows into the next, and there’s a feeling that we must keep going. Notice how I also wove characterization and description into these simple action sentences. I even created a tone.

The fourth thing you want to look for in a scene, is a clear and consistent point of view. In a first person story or limited third person point of view, this will stay consistent throughout the book. However, still check to make sure that what they see and think is true to that character and is not your author’s voice intruding with things that they wouldn’t know or contemplate.

For example, if you’re character is standing behind someone, remember that they can’t see their facial expressions. You can move them to a different vantage point, or they can comment on general body language. Likewise, a character will not comment on their own facial expressions, unless they are aware of the face they are making. You wouldn’t say, “Confusion flashed through my eyes.” You would instead describe how confusion felt in their body, or give of a glimpse into their confusing thoughts. A male POV character will not describe another guy as "cute" or "sweet."

The most popular point of view being used these days is multiple third person point of view. In this POV, each scene should take place from the perspective of a specific character. Since we’re using scenes anyway, think of this as the cameraman for the scene. We can only see what they see and hear what they hear. If we are in “close” third person point of view, we can even hear their thoughts.

So perhaps this is a cameraman whispering commentary to the audience. If you are writing in multiple third person, give thought to who will be most changed or effected by a given scene, and put the scene in their POV. If during a specific time and place you want to switch point of view, that’s fine, but it still constitutes a scene change and requires a “***” break. If you aren’t sure if you are firmly in one head, try rewriting the scene in first person, then change it back when you’re finished.

As each scene opens, drop us firmly into the head, even the body, of the point of view character. Set up the scene by letting us know where and when they are. Twang at least one of our five senses so that we can see, hear, feel, smell, taste, or touch what they are experiencing. Then we will be ready to join the character in the fictional world of the scene.

And one last thought to connect this back to my tension post from a few weeks ago. Be sure to end your scene with a hook to drive the reader forward into the next scene to keep them going. Don't want them putting that book down, you know.

So there are a few tips on writing good scenes. Writers, what tips would you add? Readers, what do you look for in a good scene? What authors use scenes to great effect?

Stand Out Novels of 2011

2011-12-31T06:32:00.000-08:00

I hesitated to do a post like this, afraid I'd miss a great book or that my qualifications would be too hazy. But on the other hand, it's good to give honor where honor is due, and I've gotten a big kick out of the favorites lists I've made it onto this year. So here are some of my top novels I read, or reread, or read earlier but were actually released in 2011.

In my sidebar I say, "I want a book that will make me weep at the beauty of the words or stab me in the gut with its spiritual depth. Preferably both." That is basically my qualification for choosing these books. The ones near the top of the list definitely did both. But all of them really affected me in a lasting sort of way. Unlike some of my author friends, who are fast readers and avid reviewers, I probably only read about 50 books this year, so I no doubt have missed some great ones. Nonetheless, here is my 2011 list of standouts.

A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander

This one deserves a special place of honor for being such a wonderful surprise for me this year. Despite Tamera's multiple awards, I didn't connect with the one book of hers I tried in the past. With A Lasting Impression, I had the complete opposite experience. I loved everything about it: characters, setting, voice, subject, theme, and if I missed any element, then yep, that one too. This book completely engrossed me. I was mesmerized by this foray into the world of art and one of the great mansions of the South. And the spiritual message was so beautifully and delicately wrought, it made me weep. I adored the mix of spiritual and emotional depth with other light, fun, and flirty moments. Just perfect.

Jewel of Persia by Roseanna White

Speaking of perfect. Roseanna has been one of my favorite authors ever since I discovered her. And on top of that, I had the pleasure of critiquing this novel last year. Wonderful. Amazing. A trip into the fascinating world of the Persian courts along with Kasia, another Jewish wife in King Xerxes harem. The psychology of the harem fascinated me. In addition, wonderful Greek, Jewish, and Persian history. And to push it over the top, a spiritual thread of light and darkness reminiscent of Frank Peretti, yet based in historical fact. Beautiful. Loved every minute of it.

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

I've been a huge fan of Julie's ever since I discovered her as well. I've read all her books, but this one had it's own special delights. I loved the twists and turns and comedy of errors sort of feel, along with the allusions to a number of Jane Austen novels. This is certainly the funnest of Julie's books to date, with multiple romances and a peek into the world of literature and drama of the time. I will say, though, that this book piqued my editors eye. I would have loved to see more point of views, for reasons I won't mention since they might give away the ending.

She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell

And yet another of my favorite authors. Siri's books are always beautifully written with lovely language and a literary touch. This one specifically stood out to me because of the theme of body image and the lengths young women will go to in order to be beautiful. It proved both haunting and mesmerizing. The spiritual message was light, but at the same time powerful. The ending turned out precisely as I hoped. If you've been turned away by sad Siri novels in the past, give her another try with this one.

Shadowed in Silk by Christine Lindsay

Christine is an amazing debut author and another critique partner of mine, although she wrote this novel before we met. I've learned so much from her, I can't begin to tell you. If you loved my Dance of the Dandelion, Christine certainly gets much credit for teaching me how to craft powerful scenes. This book takes place in Ghandi's India. The stand out element in this one is no doubt setting. It truly sweeps you away to that time and place. I love her Christian Indian characters. They present the love of Christ in a very real and vibrant sort of way.

Deliver Me from Evil by Kathi Macias

I went back and forth on this one. It is well-written, yet I also saw room for improvements. But overall, it effected me more than any other single book I've read this year and needed to make the list. It's an incredibly powerful tale about the world of human trafficking, and a book every Christian should read. Kathi manages to leave you with a feeling of hope despite the horrifying subject matter, and that alone is deserving of a very special sort of award.

Yahshua's Bridge by Sandi Rog

This book holds a unique place in my heart because it is the first book I personally endorsed as an author. It's a beautiful journey through the world of ancient Rome and the early Christians. Sandi is a lovely writer with a compelling voice. The settings are incredible. Her historical novels, though deep and sometimes dark, provide ample romance and adventure. The stand out quality of this book for me was compelling glimpse into the world of Christan martyrs and a deep understanding that sometimes God has purposes for our lives that we won't understand until the other side of the grave.

Book of Days by James Rubart

Jim writes incredibly unique books with amazing premises that I could never come up with. That alone fascinates me. And his books are powerful with spiritual messages that I find vital and timely. This book remains sharp in my memory because while reading I had a number of those goose bump God moments. I loved the concept of the Book of Days, but even more so how he concluded everything so stunningly in a way that truly impacted my life. It also had great romance and adventure. An all-around wonderful read for anyone.

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So, will any of these make their way onto my top 20 of all time list? I think I need to make room for A Lasting Impression and will probably remove one of my multiple Lisa Samson books to do it, although she remains my favorite author. And I think She Walks in Beauty will replace Love's Pursuit as my favorite serious Siri Mitchell novel. Must work on that soon.

Crank up the Tension

2011-12-27T14:04:00.001-08:00

Almost any writing expert will tell you that one of the most important elements of fiction is tension. But in usual Dina fashion, I had issues with this. I don’t like tension. It’s, well—tense! Stressful. Upsetting. I grew up in a think positive, look on the bright side kind of home. I didn’t get the need for all this tension in my stories. If I wanted tension in my life, I could have been a lawyer, and I could be making hundreds of thousands of dollars right now instead of a pittance as a writer.

Then one day, I finally got it. The tension is the reason the reader keeps turning the page. Without the tension, they have no need to know what’s going to happen next. You mean my stunning imagery and characterization aren’t enough to keep them reading? Uh, duh, no they're not. Not against the screaming demands of everyday life. Readers need a darn good reason to keep them from putting that book down. In other words, when we say you need more tension, what we’re really saying is that you need to make your reader care more.

Oh! I can do that.

So I learned how to crank up that tension baby. And really, it was there all along, I just wasn’t bringing enough notice to it. You needed a minor in psychology to find my tension.

Here are a few tips for cranking up the tension in your story. (I know a lot of people say ratchet up, but that sounds like tools, which make me even more tense.)

1) Make the goal and obstacles crystal clear. I know as writers our big mantra is show don’t tell. And I think that’s what I used to do concerning goal and motivation. I would have Dandelion the peasant girl smelling meat wafting from the castle and brushing her fingers along the stone wall, and you were supposed to know that she longed for that life and would do anything to attain it. Maybe in literary fiction that would work. But generally speaking, it’s an author’s job to make it clear through dialogue or internal monologue what the character wants, why they want it, and what’s keeping them from getting it. This is how we let our reader know what they should care about enough to keep reading that book. Some authors will go as far as to reiterate this every scene. To me, that’s overkill. But do give your readers reminders throughout. Preferably worded in new ways and reflecting the growth of the character as the story progresses.

2) Make us care about the stakes. In order to keep the reader interested, something has to be at stake. Not only does the character need a goal and an obstacle to reaching that goal, but something bad has to happen if they don’t reach it. Again, this helps our reader care and become invested in the story. And truthfully, the stakes don’t have to be huge. They can be life or death in a suspense or an adventure book. But maybe the stake is as simple as the heroine being lonely or unfulfilled or never living out her dream. In a comedy, the stakes could be completely ridiculous. Think Seinfeld and the soup Nazi. Who cares! Except that we did care. The characters cared. In their minds it was life or death, and we loved the characters, so we cared too.

3) Let us know what the character is worrying about. Now here’s another place I used to make a big mistake in my writing. I was never allowed to worry or complain growing up. I was supposed to stay in faith, and if I did worry, I kept it to myself. At some point I realized my characters made the same mistake. You don’t want your character to be whiny and bringing up their problems over and over again in dialogue. Maybe they don’t even want to admit it to themselves. But at some point, they need to. Because your readers need to know what they’re worrying about so they can worry along with them, and again, so they can care. If you character isn’t phased by their own problems, why would the reader be? And why would they turn to the next page if your character is doing just fine, thank you very much.

4) Let us feel the character's emotions. Related to letting the reader know what the character is worried about, you need to let them actually feel what the character is sensing in a visceral sort of way. You need to let them experience the character’s emotions first hand as though they are living the story in a sort of fictional dream world. Is your character angry? What does that feel like in the body? Heat? Pressure? Head about to explode? If they’re sad or in pain, how can you as the author express that to allow your reader to enter the scene and loose themselves in it?

5) End each scene with tension. I’m sure not every author will agree with this, but I’ve found it to be a very simple trick that really works. In other words, end each scene with a hook to remind us what we’re wondering or worrying about, and why we simply can’t put the book down. Often scenes end in a tense place naturally, but other scenes are resolutions to smaller complications in the book and end on a light or happy note. When I finish a scene, I look to see if there’s any good tension on the last page. If there’s not, I add some in the ending hook. For example, we just had a wonderful kissing scene and things are going great, and I end it with, “but how long could the illusion last.” Ta da! It’s a romance novel. There’s 150 pages to go. The reader knows something's got to go wrong, but without the reminder, they might just lose interest.

So those are my techniques for cranking up the tension. Authors, what tricks do you use to keep your reader's interest? Readers, what makes you really care about a book? What makes it impossible to put a book down?

Do I Write Everyday???

2011-12-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

For those of you who aren’t authors, November is in known in the writing community as “Nanowrimo,” or National Novel Writing Month. Writers traditionally use this time to focus purely on writing and try to finish a book in a month. This was my first year to participate. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it, but it worked great with my writing style.

You see, there’s another tradition in the writer’s world. Writers must write everyday. No matter what. Many instructors will tell you this is the only way to be successful. I say—hogwash!

While I do spend time everyday working on something writing related: editing, critiques, reviews, blogs, marketing, promotion, networking, (don’t worry, there’s plenty to keep me busy) I never just sit around staring at an empty, white computer screen. It would be a complete waste of time for me to write 200 or even 500 words a day as many insist that you should, because it usually takes me an hour or two to get in the right frame of mind to write.

In my definition, writer’s block is what happens when you try to write without inspiration, which I won’t even attempt. I love it when a story is boiling inside of me until it erupts like a volcano and comes flowing out. When I write in that magical flow, I can easily pound out 10,000 in a day given no distractions. And speaking of distractions, I don’t even notice them in that marvelous zone. Hours later I’ll realize it’s dark outside and check to see if all my kids are alive and the house still standing.

Probably the best thing about writing in big, inspired spurts is that the book comes out with a tight sense of unity. You’re less likely to mess up characterization or motivation if you stay in the flow of the story. The voice, rhythms, and details will remain consistent.

When I wrote my first novel, I was still homeschooling my kids. I wrote in big spurts on weekends or getaways until it was done a year later. For my second novel my kids were in public school. I wrote about 30,000 words in the fall, then the other 60,000 in a big spurt in the spring. Since then, I’ve found I have about three sprees a year. Fall, early winter, and late spring. I've utilized these spurts for major rewrites and the beginning of sequels during the last year.

Between the spurts I relax, catch up, spend time with the family, and refill. During those spaces I do the normal living required to find new inspiration. I’m sure I at least write an email everyday. Maybe a blog post, but I don’t worry about new novels.

In fact, I haven’t worked on entirely new project in a while. And I hadn’t written a book in 2011. So with NaNoWriMo approaching, I decided to pray for a new idea. God sent one in the form of a title in late October. That was all the inspiration it took to spark my creative juices. This is my first time writing an entire novel in one spurt, but I’m enjoying the ride for sure.

In addition to the unity I expected, I’ve also found this method saves a lot of time. I don’t have to go back and check things that I’ve forgotten. And while I’ve started plotting ahead of time with most of my books, for this experience I’ve been able to let the characters tell me the story and just write it down as it unfolds in my mind without worrying if the plot will come back to me at a later date.

I’m sure there must be some merit to writing everyday (although I can’t say I really understand what it is). Maybe it works better for more methodical left brain type thinkers. But for me it would be like Chinese water torture. And I submit for the record that I think writing in big spurts with breaks in between to refresh and relax is much more productive.

At least for some of us.

By the end of the month (and head start week in October) I had 70,000 words written. Not bad. I'm now up to 83,000. Need to make some time for Christmas preparations after all, but I hope to have it all finished by the new year. And what is it, you might ask. Well, for now that's a secret. But I'm going in a more marketable historical romance with American setting direction with this one. Soon I'll let you know how it turned out.

How do you write? If you're not a writer, have you ever stopped to wonder how authors create?

10 Things with Dina

2011-11-27T13:28:00.001-08:00

One of my friends, Susanne Dietze, did this fun little "10 Things with Author Dina Sleiman" article. Enjoy a few little known facts about me :)

Ten Things about Dina:

1) My favorite music is heavy metal and alternative. I’m a regular head banger.

2) I’ve been leading worship dance ministries for the better part of eighteen years.

3) No, my daughter on the cover of my novel is not the result of a teenage pregnancy. I’m actually 41 years old and had her after grad school.

4) My first creative writing project that I remember was a story about a scientifically researched alien from Venus who came to visit a little girl on Earth.

5) I love poetry and try to find sneaky ways to weave it into everything I write.

6) For most of my childhood I attended a “Jesus Movement” type hippy church. I think that explains a lot about me.

7) I was captain of the cheerleading squad in high school and valedictorian of my class. But don’t be too impressed (or annoyed) since there were only 10 people in my grade at my small Christian school.

8) I have two adorable little dogs. One malti-poo and one malti-shi. And I’m not above dressing them in cutsie outfits when they’ll let me.

9) My husband is Lebanese. I actually got caught in a war in Lebanon in 2006, and our family had to be evacuated on a U.S. naval ship.

10) I love the beach. It’s a twenty-five minute drive from my house, but I try to get there once a week when the weather’s nice. I adore the outdoors in general and do a lot of hiking and biking.

Dandelion Sneak Peek

2011-11-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

Chapter One

Sussex England - 1327

The gray stone castle beckoned from atop the grassy hill, waiting, calling to me as always. Its turreted towers rose tall and strong as sentinels on either side—solid, dependable, so unlike my own wattle and daub hut down the lane. Pennants in the Worthing colors of garnet and gold swayed against a vibrant blue sky.

“Dreaming again, are you, Dandelion?” Alice’s voice came from behind, jolting me from my trance.

I swiveled from the window. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim interior of Father John’s kitchen with its wood-beamed walls. Alice’s rosy face came into view. She held a basket of bright orange carrots against her ample hip.

A warm flush worked its way up my cheek at being caught musing yet again. “I was putting the bread on the sill to cool.” If only my telltale cheeks would cool as well.

“Seems you left your mind in the castle courtyard near the ovens where you baked that bread.” Alice placed the carrots on the table and picked up a long knife. She waved it toward the backyard where my closest friend, William, sat under a shady tree, studying a Latin text. “Perhaps you ought to turn your thoughts closer to home.”

I huffed. William had ignored me when I walked by moments earlier. “To what? Latin? You’re the one who told me a woman could go further in life with domestic skills.”

“Indeed, my sweet. But well you know I am referring to that handsome boy holding the book and not the text itself.”

“He is far too busy with his studies for the likes of me. Besides, well you know I plan to aim higher than William Ashby. Goodness, he might yet end up in the church if Father John has his way.” I took the carrots and knife from her hand and began slicing.

“Oh, leave those.” Alice offered me a basket instead. “Go and collect some flowers for your new kirtle. It’s beautiful outside.”

A smile tickled my lips. “Buttercup yellow with a sage green mantle. Oh, Alice, you are too good to me.” I couldn’t hold back a squeal. Nor could I wait to throw this tattered brown tunic I wore into the rag heap. The new kirtle would show off my subtle curves to perfection. Although I had learned the basics of weaving and sewing as a child, I was anxious to continue my lessons in dyeing and embroidery.

Taking the basket from her, I gave Alice’s plump shoulder a squeeze. How could I thank her enough for the opportunities she had offered me? Me, Dandelion, daughter of the crippled cottar. Alice claimed with my new skills I could work in a town or open a shop someday, but I dreamed only of working and living at the castle. There I would remain close to my family and provide for them as I always longed to.

She batted me away with an affectionate swat. “Go on with you now. And while you’re at it, that fine young man beneath the tree might need some incentive to keep him from taking holy orders. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

Of course, everyone knew that “housekeeping” was the least of Alice’s duties in the home of our village priest, but as the dear woman tended to the needs of the poor and the sick alongside Father John, no one dared complain. Such arrangements were common enough. I had seen with my own eyes the devotion they shared. Perhaps Alice wished to protect me from falling into a similar fate. But I highly doubted William was the man for me.

I crinkled my face and shook my head before walking out the door into the bright golden sunshine. As I passed by him beneath the tree on my way to the garden, I decided to heed Alice’s sage advice nonetheless. “God give you good day, William.”

He grunted but never even looked up from his blasted book. Beyond William’s feet in the shade sat the smooth patch of dirt where Father John taught us our letters and numbers, where we later scratched complex mathematics equations with a pointed stick. Once, Father John drew a map of the whole world and gave us a thorough geography lesson on that patch. It was filled with fond memories of William, my baby brother Tim, and me, working side by side to make a better life for ourselves and escape this peasant village.

I continued the conversation on my own. “Yes, and a lovely day it is. Don’t you think? The perfect afternoon for picking flowers. Remember when we picked flowers together, Willliam?” We used to do everything together.

He raised his brow at my chatter but said not at word. Although William did indeed love to study, his behavior toward me seemed oddly rude of late. Had I evaded his veiled hints of marriage one too many times?

I proceeded to ignore him as well and settled myself in the garden, inhaling a deep whiff of the fertile Sussex countryside. Who needed the likes of William Ashby? Glancing across the valley, I took in fresh-turned earth bursting with life beneath the azure sky, sloping green hills dotted with fluffy white sheep, meadows of wildflowers, a gurgling stream, and the dappled forest beyond. I had danced through those fields as a child. My feet itched to spin and leap even now, but at sixteen, I grew old for such nonsense. Instead, I applied myself to the more pressing task of locating the perfect blossoms for my precious kirtle. I surveyed a cluster of blooms that looked just right and ran my fingers across the moist, silken petals.

“Dandy, come over here,” William shouted. “Can you help me make this out?”

So now he wished to speak with me?

I bent over and continued my search for the ideal yellow blossoms.

A hair ribbon fell in my eye, and I swiped it away. Assisting Alice, I amassed quite a collection of them. My favorites were violet, sky blue, and sea-foam green. Each brought out a different shade in my exotic eyes, William said, and a different side of my personality. I wore the purple ribbon today. Purple stood for passion.

“Dandy, please.”

I wished my brother Tim was with him under that tree hard at work at his studies. Unlike me, an academic education could in truth take him far in the world. Father John offered a priceless gift to William and Tim. The gift of a future. Yet more oft than not, the eleven-year-old boy tossed it aside to romp through the forest with his friends. I should set down this basket and drag his thieving behind back here this minute. He may not care about his own well-being, but I most certainly did. And I had no desire to see him tied to a whipping post.

“Marian, please don’t ignore me. I need you.”

William’s use of the nickname made me laugh. It brought to mind that he and I had once run through the woods as members of Robin Hood’s merry band of poachers as well. Perhaps I should not begrudge Tim the fun. It was a miracle the lad had survived 1315, the year of the great famine. His weak infant whimpers called to me over the distance of memory even now.

I ran my fingers across my brow to wipe the thoughts away. He was the last born boy and our family treasure. Surely Tim would be fine. After all, the castle steward remained our longtime ally.

“Please, come and help me. I’m truly stuck, and Father John won’t be home for hours,” William called.

“But I’m all covered with dirt. Goodness, William, you act as if you’re the only one with anything important to do. Bring it over here.” I brushed my hands on Alice’s old apron.

He walked toward me. “It’s unfair you have such a knack for languages when you don’t appreciate it.”

“It’s unfair I cannot make good use of my knack for languages, thus I must content myself to sew.”

William looked stiff from too much sitting as he joined me. “Right here, Dandy. It’s right here.” He pointed to the page. “I can’t seem to wrap my mind around it.”

“Hand it over.” I snatched it from him. “‘Est autem fides sperandorum substantia rerum argumentum non parentum.’ Hmm. ‘Now faith is . . . .’ Well, that is simple enough.”

“Yes, yes, I got that part, it’s the next that puzzles me.” He leaned in and took the other side of the book.

As he pressed close, I bade my errant heart to still and focused upon the words. “Well, I guess it says . . . being sure or being certain. Substance would be the easiest translation, but it doesn’t make any sense.”

He stopped and looked up at me for a moment. Some emotion I couldn’t read flashed through his eyes. “Perhaps that’s right. It does seem odd, though. ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the proof of things not seen.’”

“No, no, not proof, it looks more like argument. Evidence, perhaps. It’s all gibberish if you ask me. I don’t think it was written down properly. Someone should fix it.”

He pulled the book away from me. “You shouldn’t talk that way about the Word of God. If we don’t understand it, then I suppose we are the ones in need of fixing.”

I glared at him. “Oh fie. Really, William, I don’t know how much more of your piety I can stomach. Do you truly plan to become a priest? You could be a clerk or a bailiff or something practical with all you’ve learned.”

“You’re missing the point entirely. Give it a try. ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ It’s . . . as if faith is something we can touch or hold. Perhaps by our faith, we make things real, as if our very faith is all the proof we need. There, it does make sense. I can’t see God, but I know He is real, and that very knowing is all the proof I need.”

“Yes, yes, it’s spellbinding.”

He brushed off my sarcasm. “And look, there’s more still I think, in the word hope. We don’t have to hope God exists, that would be silly.”

“Silly indeed.” I rolled my eyes.

“It seems as if the hope may be bringing things into existence. Perhaps our faith is some sort of force to bring about change.” He tapped on the page. “See, I told you, it is compelling if you just put some time into it.”

“Truly, you give me a headache with all the time you put into it.”

“Don’t you understand at all?” He reached toward me but let his hand drop.

“Faith . . . faith is a force? Like fairy magic I suppose.” I stood up and walked to a nearby tree. Leaning against it, I settled my gaze upon the castle. “Why, as a matter of fact, I do have faith. I have faith that one day a handsome prince shall gallop in on a black charger and sweep me away. He’ll take me to a distant land, and there he shall build me a lovely manor of gray stones with flowers all about instead of an ugly old moat. It will be filled with books and beautiful fabrics. It will be quite charming, I’m certain. So there you are. Do you fancy I can hope that into existence?” I turned back to him and lifted an eyebrow.

He shook the book in the air. “God’s teeth, Dandy, why must you twist everything and make it about your stupid dreams and your vanity? Why not say Lord Thomas Worthing? I know full well that’s who you think of, that spoiled fool running around Scotland killing people for Lord only knows what reason. What an idiot you are. My mother is right. You are by far the most selfish, arrogant heathen on God’s green earth. That I have faith of, indeed.”

Thoughts of Lord Worthing never failed to rile William, but his shabby treatment of me had gone on long enough. “I’ve wasted quite enough time on this stupid conversation and the likes of you, William Ashby.” I gathered my flowers, turned, and walked away, stomping my bare feet against the dirt lane.

I had last caught sight of his lordship five years earlier on this very lane. He indeed rode a fine charger, looking every inch the strong, handsome knight with his garnet and gold colors flying in the wind. Cantering past me, he had smiled and winked. Rather than remaining angry with William as I should, the memory made me grin. I turned my lips back to a pout before he could see.

William trotted at my heels like a kicked puppy as I turned upon a wooded trail. “Dandy, I’m sorry. Please don’t be cross with me. I just worry about you.”

“About my eternal soul or whom I shall marry?” I continued walking.

“Well, I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I didn’t worry about your soul, and if I get a little jealous, it’s because I care so much. Fairy stories are fun, but those sorts of imaginations can only bring trouble. You’re still my prettiest girl, though, pretty enough to be a princess.” He spoke directly into my ear in his most charming voice, a deep manly voice that made me quiver.

I pushed him away. “Oh, stop it. I forgive you, I suppose. We both know I shall eventually.”

“Come, let’s sit by the river like we did when we were children.”

I smirked. William fancied himself so grown-up. As we continued down the leafy trail, he used the excuse of climbing over a fallen log to take my hand, then never let go, gallant indeed. It felt so warm and safe in his large rugged palm. We had been best friends for so long I oft forgot how handsome his sandy hair looked falling in soft waves about his wide cheekbones.

A child squealed at a distance. William had given up poaching for religious reasons long ago. However, he passed the role of Robin Hood to Tim, who rounded up his own troop of merry men. The new crop of boisterous young hunters filled the woods with happy sounds of adventure and thievery.

At nineteen and sixteen William and I were children in so many ways, still learning and discovering the world, yet fully grown by everyone’s expectations. I gazed up at William’s face. It narrowed nicely down to a cleft chin and full lips. He stood tall and natural like the woods around us, slender but strong, a peasant girl’s dream, but to me he was a friend. Wasn’t he? Every girl in the village might long for him, swoon in his handsome presence, but surely I had higher ambitions than William. Didn’t I?

My older sister Saddie planned to marry soon. She seemed happy enough with the prospect, and why not? It was the best she ever wished for, the best she could expect—marriage to a handsome young villein, working in his family’s fields, raising his children, growing more peasants to work in more fields. Never mind they would both be old and gray within ten years. Never mind she would likely die in childbirth long before then. My brother Robert was ever slipping into the woods with a redhead from down the lane. No doubt he’d be on the path to matrimony before long. But that sort of life was far from enough for me.

~*~

I held tight to William’s hand as we approached the Arun River, the namesake of the castle and the village. We sat on our favorite warm rock, and to my surprise, he wrapped his arm around my waist. With his free hand he took a springy lock of my wheat-colored hair and twisted it about his finger, causing my stomach to twirl as well.

I attempted to lighten the mood. “Not such the holy saint now, are you?” Yet, the quiet breathiness of my voice surprised even me, and the result was quite the opposite.

“Dandy, you asked about me becoming a priest, but you must know how much I love you. I would give it all up in a second if I thought you would marry me. It’s just when you talk all wistful about some high, fancy lifestyle, I fear I don’t have a chance.” He caressed my cheek.

A tear filled my eye at his very nearness. I turned my head into his palm and rested it there. “Oh, William, don’t—”

“No, please. I can’t give you a castle, Dandy, and you know I’ll never have a black charger. I’ll be lucky to have any sort of horse at all. But, if I work terribly hard, I can make a life for us. I’ll build you the prettiest little cottage right over there on the hillside by the river. I can see it now. I’ll dig and gather the stones by hand. I will. I’ll do it just for you, and we’ll plant the loveliest ring of flowers around it you ever did see.”

I could almost picture it. My head grew swishy at the tickle of William’s breath against my skin.

“I’ll build a bridge over the river, and I’ll make a path of cobblestones going right to the door, so you won’t get your feet muddy, or your shoes either. I’ll see to it you have shoes and plenty of clothes and warm cloaks for the winter, you and every one of our children. And I’ll wake you up each morning with a cup of fresh milk from our very own cow . . . a cup of fresh milk . . . .” His voice faded. “And kisses. I’ll cover you head to toe with kisses each and every day of our lives.”

My breath caught in my chest.

True to his word, he kissed my cheeks, my eyes, the tip of my nose with his full, soft lips. I thought nothing in the world could feel better than his velvet touch, until he tipped up my chin, and his trail of kisses reached my lips. They came alive beneath his and moved of their own accord. A bubbly warmth filled me to my fingertips and toes. I knew I should stop him, stop this fantasy, but he had drawn me in as well. It all seemed so real, so very real and possible as we sat kissing in the sunshine. Oh, how I wanted this moment to be true and last forever. I never dreamed of such bliss. In all of my planning and scheming, I never planned for this.

William pulled away, struggling for breath, and stared into my eyes. My heart fluttered in my chest. I could see my own amazement mirrored in his golden-brown orbs. He let go of me and lay back on the rock with a long sigh. We remained in our separate reveries, yet somehow one. I edged forward and dipped my toes in the cool flowing water, swishing them to and fro, reliving the kiss again and again, touching my lips where the tingle remained.

Then William roused me back to the present. He held in his hand a crown of cornflowers he had woven as I mused. He placed it upon my head and ran his fingers down the length of my hair. “Now you look a princess,” he said. “The cornflowers match your blue eyes, and with those golden tresses cascading down your shoulders, who would dare deny it?” He reached for another flower and formed it into a tiny circle this time. He lifted my hand and slid it with ease onto my fourth finger. A good omen, Saddie would say. “Dandelion, fairy queen of all I see, I may not be a handsome prince, but will you marry me?”

“Oh, William, you’ve been reading far too much poetry for your own good.” I gave him a playful shove, breaking the spell.

But it was midsummer, and we had discovered a new delight, sweeter even than the pink shiny candy Lord Worthing had once given me. Day after day we were found kissing on the rock.

Tim and his cohorts teased us mercilessly. They snuck up behind us one day completely unheeded and pushed us into the water. We just splashed back up at them and continued kissing, soaking wet and knee-deep in the river. If only matters could have remained so simple.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For more sample chapters, click here.

Exploring God in All His Shades and Textures

2011-11-07T05:27:00.000-08:00

All my life I dreamed of writing “the great American novel.” So, some might find it surprising to learn that I did not set my first novel in America.

I think the reason goes back to my four years spent at Oral Roberts University. There the campus pastors drilled into us that we should not think of ourselves as American Christians, but rather as World Christians. Citizens of the globe, reaching out to others without discrimination. People who did not base their views on ethnicity or patriotism, but rather considered the good of the whole world in their decision making. I guess I took that a step further by choosing a husband from Lebanon. And when my sister married a man whose parents hailed from India, we became one seriously international family.

Perhaps another reason I preferred a foreign setting is because I love that sense of traveling through fiction. When I read, I want to experience new places, cultures, and mindsets. I want to learn something about people who think and act differently than I do. I want to discover something unique about what it means to be human, and consequently to unveil more about the God who made us all in his marvelous image.

So, when I finally did sit down to write that great American novel, I didn’t feel restricted to placing it within our fifty states. The whole world stood open before me, ripe with possibilities.

My first consideration as I chose the setting for my book was that I wanted a time predating our current religious schisms and prejudices. A time when everyone was a Christian, but being a Christian didn’t always mean much. A time before the Protestant Reformation. That pretty much meant my book would be set in Europe. I choose England because much of my ancestry is British, and I had spent a summer there during a college missionary trip.

As the story began to unfold in my mind, I realized I needed a year when feudalism still existed, but when the middle class was beginning to emerge. I wanted my heroine to be born a peasant tied to the land, but I also wanted her to have the ability to rise above her circumstances. And since I wanted her first memories to be of suffering through abject poverty, I needed a famine.

So I settled on Sussex, England beginning in the famine year of 1315. The story continued to unravel before me. Dandelion would begin in Sussex, but would experience a journey of discovery through this romantic coming of age story. She would search the world over looking for the true meaning of love. First the nearby castle, then on to London. And she needed a sea voyage, perhaps to…Italy? Yes, Italy in the 1330’s as the Renaissance began to dawn would be cool.

Searching for the true meaning of love in Italy. Wait a minute. Weren’t some of my favorite medieval mystic poets from Italy and Germany during this time period? I looked it up, and yes they were. St. Catherine of Siena, St. Therese of Avila, and Hildegard von Bingen all wrote intensely passionate love poems to God within two hundred years of my story. Dandelion definitely needed the influence of women like that if she was going to ever discover the meaning of love. And so my fictional nunnery was born outside of Florence, Italy.

Of course, these odd settings aren’t the easiest sell in the CBA market. In fact, if someone had told me that medievals didn’t sell well before I had started mine, I might have reconsidered the decision. But I’m glad I wrote it in blissful ignorance. I love the setting. I love the way I was able to use it to bring to light unique aspects of man’s relationship with God, and I love the rich, musical language it permitted.

Yes, Dance of the Dandelion was a hard sell. Several big houses gave the book serious consideration but turned it down over the medieval time period. But eventually, I did find a publisher. I feel so blessed to have connected with WhiteFire Publishing for this project because they share my love for exotic settings, and they are willing to take risks. They embrace the vision that birthed this book: to explore God in all of his many shades and textures.

A Different Kind of Love Story

2011-10-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Dandelion Dering played by Taylor?

There are romances, and there are love stories. For instance Nicholas Sparks books could be called love stories, but they fall far outside of the parameters of romance, sometimes even ending sadly.

And I have decided that for me as an author, romances are a bit stifling.

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl face obstacles in getting together. Boy and girl live happily ever after. That’s the basic romance novel in a nutshell. For a true romance, if you remove the romantic thread, there’s no plot left. And the story should be told from the hero and heroines third person points of view.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I adore romance. For me, no book is complete without it. I even love a happy ending. But personally, I enjoy a few more twists and turns along the journey.

When I penned my debut novel, I wanted it to be a love story, but I wanted to go a different route in how I explored the topic of love. The first thing that came to mind was a Eugene O’Neil play I had read in high school. In it, the heroine lost her true love in one of the World Wars. She spends the rest of the play searching for a man who can take his place—but instead finds only men who fulfill aspects of that longing. This gave me an idea. What if my heroine turned her back on true love because of a childhood wound? She could spend the rest of the story searching for love. She would find men who represented aspects of love, but never quite the real thing.

The next thought that came to my mind was a nonfiction book I’d read by Dr. Ed Wheat called Love Life for Every Married Couple. The book lists the different Biblical words for love and explains each one. What if I were to combine this idea with the Eugene O’Neil play? My heroine could meet men that fulfill certain Biblical definitions of love, but never that true God-like agape love.

So in my novel, Dance of the Dandelion, my peasant heroine does indeed turn away from true love because of her childhood trauma of enduring a famine. This launches her on a journey of discovery. She goes through a series of men against an exciting backdrop of the medieval pageantry and adventure on the high seas. Gottfried, the stoic knight, fulfills her need for safety and belonging. Richard, the charming castle steward, meets her longing for romance and fun. Giovanni, the kind Italian merchant, provides her with friendship and companionship. Finally she meets Lucio, the sexy sea captain, who represents passion and desire, but each relationship lacks some important element and leaves her unfulfilled.

As you might have guessed, it is only when Dandelion finds God’s true love that she is set free to find earthly love as well. But the story doesn’t end there. Dandelion still has challenges and difficult choices to face.

So, I guess the verdict is in. I write happy-ending romantic love stories of the non-romance variety. Did that make any sense? To hardcore romance readers who approach a book with a very specific set of expectations it does. And yet I think any romance readers will love my novel.

Here's what a few of your favorite authors have to say (humor me for a minute, I just got two of these recently and have to share them somewhere.)

"Dina Sleiman is a beautiful writer. Romantic and gritty, Dance of the Dandelion takes readers on an epic journey of human failings, self discovery, and second chances. Through it all God’s love and forgiveness shines through."
--Julie Klassen, Bestselling Author

"This medieval romp of a book reads like a dance! Full of unexpected twists and turns, it displays the folly or joy of our choices and the God who enables us to find true freedom in Him. Dandelion Dering is a heroine you won't soon forget!”
--Laura Frantz

"A magical medieval tale of whim and whimsy, the Dance of the Dandelion is one woman's journey to both true love and the truth, spinning a spell that will hold you captive from the first page to the last. Strongly recommended for mature audiences, this is a novel--and an author--not to be missed, and an emotional and spiritual journey that will leave you breathless."

--Julie Lessman

Dance of the Dandelion is now available. See links in the sidebar.

Which do you prefer, a romance novel or a love story? Why? What is your definition of a romance?

How to Write the Unmarketable Novel

2011-10-12T11:50:00.001-07:00

(As first seen on Novel Rocket)

Not a good plan, huh? Any writer with an ounce of sense will choose to write a novel that fits the marketplace. A book that will have editors clamoring after it.

Unless, of course, said novelist has no idea about the market. Say, for example, said novelist has been a stay at home mom for the last twelve years and decides to try her hand at writing that book she always dreamed of. She has no idea what the market wants. Heck, she’s not even sure she’ll finish the novel.

What she does know is that she needs to write something that excites her. Something that she would want to read. Something that will keep her typing in the middle of homeschooling and running kids to a never ending list of extra-curricular activities.

For me, it was a love story set in the middle ages. Of course I adore the world of knights, jousts, and pageants, but much more drew me to the 1300s. In that time period I saw a deep and authentic spirituality in the medieval saints that I felt would truly speak to a contemporary audience. I saw a time before our current denominational schisms and Christianese dialect where I might explore faith through new eyes. There I could set my story of finding freedom, healing, and the true meaning of love.

Strike one!

I had no idea that Christian publishers weren’t looking for anything set in the medieval period. That in fact, most agents would turn down the project after one paragraph of my cover letter based on setting alone.

And I thought it would be great to write the book in first person. I love first person novels. They’re so intimate, and I figured it would help me get into the head of that fascinating heroine I planned to create.

Strike two!

How was I supposed to know that the present trend in point of view runs toward a multiple limited third person perspective? I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a trend in point of view. Let’s face it, I probably would have needed to pull out my graduate creative writing texts to even remember what it meant.

Most importantly, I wanted to write a realistic novel with a fallen heroine who struggled with selfishness, sin, and sexual temptation—but that still contained a powerful spiritual message. Because, after all, that’s the book I wanted to read and almost never found.

You guessed it…Strike three!

Okay, I’ll confess I had a clue this one might be a problem based on the fact that very few of these books seemed to be available. I knew my novel would probably be too Christian for the secular market and too edgy for the Christian market. Eventually the spiritual elements took on a life of their own, and I realized I had no choice but to hope for the best in Christian publishing.

So that, my friends, is how to write the perfect unmarketable, edgy Christian, first-person, medieval novel that nobody wants to buy. But there’s an upside.

The upside is, if you do indeed want to sell this book, you can’t settle for decent. You have to work and edit and revise for years until the book is capable of overcoming all those strikes. Until people say things like, “my all time favorite book,” compare you to Geraldine Brooks or Francine Rivers, and call your writing “light rippling across water."

If, and only if, you keep working and learning and developing your novel, you just might find a company like WhiteFire crazy enough to publish it. After all, it only takes one yes. And that company might be awesome. And let you use your daughter for the cover model. And even keep your steamiest scene because they understand you’re using it to make an important spiritual point.

The journey to publishing my debut novel, Dance of the Dandelion, was not an easy one. But you know what, looking back, I can’t say I’d change a thing.

Official Release and Blog Tour

2011-09-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

Although amazon.com already has copies in stock, my official book release is this Saturday, October 1st. I'll be celebrating with a little party at my regular local American Christian Fiction Writers meeting. I'll also be busy in the blog world over the next few weeks. Many of these posts will include a book giveaway:

Right now!! - The Medievalist Article and Interview
October 1st - Novel Rocket "Writing the Unmarketable Novel"

October 3rd -8th - Inkwell Inspirations Week of Dina: All Week Festivities and Giveaway

October 4th and 5th - Favorite Pastimes Two Day Interview and Giveaway

October 7th - Literary Mama Interview

October 11th - The Writer's Alley
October 12th - Stepping Stones for Readers "A Letter to My Readers"
October 17th - Overcoming Through Time Review and Giveaway
October 18th - Tea and a Good Book Ten Things About Dina Sleiman

October 24^th – K. Dawn Byrd Blogspot Interview and Giveaway
November 2nd - Sunnybank Meanderings

If anyone would like to arrange for book signings or book club appearances, please contact me at dina sleiman at gmail dot com.

Strategy for Beauty

2011-09-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

(As first seen on the Seekerville Blog)

Long before I became a novelist, I was a published poet. I love creating art with words, molding them like a sculptor shapes clay to form a work of beauty that stirs the soul. So when I sat down to pen my first novel, painting pretty pictures with words and creating melodious sounds came easy. As one fellow author, Christine Lindsay put it, “It was like reading light rippling across water.”

Of course in the first version of Dance of the Dandelion, my descriptions were way too long, my plot was paced all wrong, and my dialogue read like a radio script. I had a lot to learn about crafting a novel before my book reached publication.

Over time I’ve come to understand that crafting a story is like creating a framework. It’s the carpentry of the book. Imagine a couch with a wooden skeleton. Without the proper structure, the couch…or novel will quickly fall apart. Artistry is merely the decorative touch.

But oh—what a difference that decorative touch can make!

How many of us purchase couches based on the sturdiness of a frame we can’t even see? No, we choose based on the colors, shapes, patterns, and textures. The appeal to our senses. Do we want novels that are merely functional or novels that are pure bliss? Artistry in writing can make the difference between a book people read once and enjoy, and a book people remember for a lifetime.

Even more importantly, artistry is a significant way that we as Christians can reach out to today’s postmodern world. Our current generation raised on television and video games craves imagery and beauty. Ever wonder why passing out tracts has been replaced with flash mob praise dances? People today need to see the beauty of God, and through that beauty find relationship with him.

So today I’d like to share some poetic secrets to help you heighten the level of beauty in your novels. Poetry gives careful attention to each word’s sounds, connotations, and multiple meanings. It calls for exquisite crafting of every line to find the ultimate potential hidden within the words. These are great skills for any writer to possess, and they go a long way in strengthening that elusive quality called voice.

1) Imagery – All writers know that it’s important to appeal to the senses in our novels. However, what if we take this one step further? Just like it’s important in life to stop from our busy schedules and enjoy a drop of rain on a pink, silken rose petal or the fluttering journey of a butterfly dancing on the breeze, take time in your writing to explore the beauty of the setting. Give thought to those special moments when you can pause from the busyness of your story and allow your characters to explore the wonder of the world around them.

In an action-packed thriller novel, a panoramic sunset can instill hope and create a memorable moment. In a science fiction story, the alien landscape might provide a sensory feast. In a work of speculative fiction, a bizarre occurrence can create a sense of beauty through the perception of the point of view character as they draw insight from often overlooked details.

2) Symbol – Symbol is an extension of imagery. When an image becomes larger than itself and begins to take on universal significance, you might have a symbol. As Christians we should be well-accustomed to symbols. The Bible is full of them. The cross, the dove, the wind and fire of the Holy Spirit. The river of life, the lion, the lamb, the lily of the valley. Since symbols should be organic and not tacked on, look for opportunities in your fiction to develop symbols through images already in place.

For example, I noticed that bees showed up several times in my novel. With a few observations in the internal monologue, the bee took on greater significance and became a symbol for how the character viewed her circumstances. Animals, flowers, trees, colors, mementos, gifts, jewels, clothing, and homes are just some of the objects that make for great symbols in addition to action oriented symbols like sports and the arts.

3) Metaphor and Simile – I’ve heard writers say that metaphor and simile are “against the rules” of good novel writing, but I don’t buy it. Metaphor and simile are simply quick versions of symbolism. While it’s all too easy to use trite or cliché metaphors and similes, these can also provide a powerful way to evoke images in your writing through comparison. When they are unique and creative, they amplify the power of your writing.

I heard a great example on the radio a few minutes ago. “You’re gonna catch a cold from the ice down in your soul.” Now instead of merely knowing the guy is “cold-hearted,” I can actually feel the cold and the pain it will cause through the power of metaphor.

4) Sound – True poetry does not focus on rhyming like Dr. Seuss, but rather on the beauty of sound. Rhyming means matching sounds. There are many ways to do this. You can match beginning sounds (alliteration), middle sounds (consonance, assonance), or ending sounds. You can match perfectly or you can slant your rhyme. You can hide matching sounds in the middle of sentences to create a lovely feel without being obvious. Try choosing your sounds based on the tone or mood you wish to create.

Here’s an example. “Ocean breezes speak to me with whispering words of love.” See how the repeated “s” sounds and soft consonants create a breeze like effect. Hard, sharp words create an intense staccato sound. Experiment with sound. Read your writing out loud and see what you can create.

5) Rhythm – Another important element of sound is rhythm. I love to play with rhythm in my writing. In my historical novel, I use iambic rhythms, which bring to mind Shakespeare and King James. The rich, rocking meter creates a classical feel. Often, I lull you into a rhythm and snap you out of it to bring attention to a specific detail. In my contemporary novel, I use crisper rhythms and shorter sentences. I have the most fun with rhythm in my narrative nonfiction. I can use rhythm in my own voice to create emotion and give you a sense of rambling or chatting. Then switch to a feel of smacking you. Quick, hard hitting points. Fun, fun, fun.

If you recall your high school English classes, you might remember that there are iambs and trochees, dactyls and anapests, all in various metered feet. And most of you are probably experiencing traumatic flashbacks right about now. Don’t worry about all of that. My favorite rhythms are the natural ones used by poets like Langston Hughes to create the sounds of music. Let the words guide you. Follow the flow and let it lead the way.

I hope you enjoyed this brief foray into the world of poetry, and I hope it has given you some new ideas about how to instill beauty in your writing. But as the famous poet John Keats once wrote, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all.” So above all else, be true to your own style, your own voice, and the unique calling God has placed upon your heart. Let his truth and beauty shine through your words, and you can never go wrong.

How do you instill beauty in your writing? Can you share a favorite line of poetry with us? Maybe a beautiful passage from your own writing or a book you love? Whose writing do you think embodies beauty?

My Awesome New Video Trailer!!!

2011-09-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Deep and Wide

2011-08-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

Deep and wide, deep and wide.

There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.

Throughout this prayer series, I’ve been talking about how to tap into that flow of the Holy Spirit, and how to develop an intimate relationship with God. Thinking about that river of life, that fountain of living water, calls to mind the traditional Sunday school song above. It reminds me that in addition to going deep into God’s word and prayer as I’ve been encouraging us to do, it’s also important to go wide. So let’s look at deep and wide in reference to our prayer and devotion time in several areas.

Personal Communication with God

Most of the topics I’ve been writing about for the past few months have encouraged you to go deep into your prayer life, spending quality intimate time with God. Check my bi-weekly Thursday posts or my personal blog for more info in this area.

However, it’s also important to go wide in our communication with God. To always have him in our hearts. To direct our thoughts to him throughout our day. In this way a concern becomes a petition. Joyful moments become a time of praise. Thankful moments an act of worship. Painful moments a sacred encounter. Remember to keep your thoughts continually tuned to God, but to take that deep time to really focus on him and listen for direction as well.

Another area we should remember to go deep is in spiritual warfare. When under attack from the enemy, it is important to take out that shield of faith and that sword of the spirit of the word of God and to go on the offensive to do battle in spiritual realm, giving quality time and attention to the issue.

Intercession for Others

Similar to personal communication with God, we should be regularly sending petitions to him for those we encounter throughout the day. When we hear an ambulance siren or see a crashed car, take a moment to whisper up a prayer. When we hear about a sick child on facebook or see someone looking sad in the grocery line, offer up a petition.

But we should also take time to go deep into prayer for other people, offering them before the Lord. Holding them in the light of his glorious presence. Speaking scripture promises and blessings over their lives, and going to battle in the spirit for them as well.

Bible Reading

In one of my posts I talked about an ancient Bible reading technique called lectio divina. This calls us to read small sections of scripture, taking time to mediate and picture specific words or phrases that stand out and shimmer to us. Incorporating prayer and listening into our Bible reading time. I love this technique. It truly brings God’s word alive. Another great way to go deep into God’s word is by memorizing scripture. Finally, copying it in your own handwriting is great for getting God’s word deep into your heart.

But it is also important to go wide in God’s word. To make sure that you’ve read the whole Bible, hopefully several times. We should know the voice of the good shepherd and not follow that of a stranger. The best way to learn God’s voice is by reading his word in large chunks. All of the techniques I’ve mentioned for hearing God’s personal voice and direction work best when you are well-acquainted with God’s written word.

And these days there are so many opportunities to go wide in God’s word. You can listen to scripture on CD while driving or exercising. You can read the Bible in multiple translations online. My church has held Bible reading marathons where people take turns reading the scriptures out loud. If I remember right, you can read through the entire Bible in a 24 hour marathon.

Praise and Worship

We can also go both deep and wide in praise and worship. I think most Christians know about focused praise and worship through music on Sunday mornings. However, it is also a huge blessing to your mind and your spirit to keep praise and worship playing in the background throughout the day whenever possible.

You know, this whole topic of deep and wide is similar to what we call quality time versus quantity time. And since experts have argued over which is more important in relationships, I think it’s safe to assume that both are essential. We need to know God on a deep level, but we need that quantity time spent with him and his word as well for familiarity and a sense of closeness.

So remember to go both deep and wide with your prayer and devotion.

Which are you better at spending in relationships, quality time or quantity time? Which do you find more important? What are the benefits of each? Please share any of your personal tips for going deep and/or wide with God.

A Time to Pray

2011-08-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Today we’re going to talk about prayer.” The youthful pastor glanced over the faces of the congregation lining the pews. One by one smiles turned to frowns of guilt and remorse. Several sets of eyes glazed over with disinterest, while others turned away from him. A sweet, elderly lady in the front row continued to gaze up with a beatific grin.

He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. This should be good. “How many of you have heard a sermon before that instructed you to rise early each morning and pray?”

Every hand in the audience shot up. “How many of you have tried to do this?”

Over half the hands stayed in the air. “And how many have succeeded?”

As he suspected, only five or six remained, including the saintly white-haired woman up front. “Well, I have good news for you. Jesus liked to pray at night.”

A few sighs met his ears, followed by a murmured, “Thank God.”

The pastor chuckled. “Different question. How many of you have been taught that you should set aside an hour a day to pray?”

Again every hand rose. “And how many of you actually pray an hour a day.” All hands fell. Even his friend in the front row lowered her wrinkled one and wobbled it back and forth to indicate hit and miss. Then one brave soul in the back raised his hand high. Several nearby parishioners glared at him and grumbling exploded about the building.

Oh, great. The last thing he needed was to get in trouble with the senior pastor. Again. “Settle down everyone. Today we’re going to talk about a different approach to prayer.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Would it surprise you to know that every school morning for four years straight I’ve had a devotional time with my children? Often when I mention that to people, I’m met by disbelief, glares, or guilt. But we’ve found a simple formula that works for us. And if ever one child is running late, another will fuss at them because they love our prayer time. They crave that special moment to start the day.

However, we do not wake up early, and we don’t spend an hour. Allow me to share our recipe for prayer success.

1) Keep it short: Our prayer time is five minutes long.
2) Build it into your daily routine: We pray every morning at 8:00 am by the front window right before the youngest has to go outside and catch the bus.
3) Have a plan: We say the Lord’s Prayer together, then I read a 5-10 verse passage of scripture from a specified book. Finally, I (or Dad if he’s home) close with a prayer for our day.

Perhaps that sounds too simple. Too easy. But if you read my last post you will remember that prayer is meant to be enjoyed. Not dreaded. Let’s look at these simple steps in more detail.

Keep it short. When you first attempt to enter into a daily habit of prayer, start simple. Choose a reasonable goal that you feel confident you can conquer. Five minutes a day. Ten at the most. Once this becomes a habit and you begin to enjoy your prayer time, chances are you will find this time too short and want to pray longer. But take it easy on yourself and start out slow.

Build it into your daily routine. What do you do everyday? Have a cup of coffee in the morning and read the newspaper? Check your email when you get home from work? Read before you go to bed? Take a lunch break? Go running? If you’re super busy then what about drive to work? Or take a shower? Choose one of these times and add your five minutes of prayer to it. Once it successfully becomes a habit and you are enjoying it, consider extending it, or adding a second, and later a third time.

Have a plan: It certainly doesn’t have to be the same as my family’s plan. Maybe you’d like open with a worship song, read a devotional, listen quietly, and close with an out loud prayer. Maybe you’d like to read a scripture and meditate on it and then journal about it. Maybe you’d like to begin with a time of thanksgiving, then pray for friends, and finally for yourself. You might enjoy trying something different such as deep breathing, repeating a single scripture, and imagining meeting with God to talk about your day. Traditional folks might like to use a liturgical prayer and light a candle. Our more charismatic friends might want to incorporate praying in the spirit or even dancing. The plan is only to help you, and you get to set it. One day you might want to change it, or scrap it completely. No problem! But a plan will help you see how you can easily fill that time. In fact, before long you’ll find that five minutes is not nearly long enough.

And this is just a starting point to help you enjoy your prayer time. Also keep in mind what we learned in my posts “A Place to Pray” and some of the prayer techniques we’ve discussed. Soon every hand in our audience might go up when the pastor asks who prays an hour a day. The goal is not to sit miserably, whiling away the time. The goal is to enjoy God’s presence so that you seek it more and more. To long to meet with him again. To dream of those moments. To pray without ceasing.

Because you want to!

Do you have a prayer routine that you’d be willing to share with us? What helps you to enjoy your time with God? If you don’t have a regular prayer time, what might help you establish one?

A Place to Pray

2011-07-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” ~ Matthew 6:6

For several posts I’ve been sharing my thoughts on tapping into the spiritual realm and truly communicating with God. And while this requires honing our spiritual senses, the physical environment around us can either contribute to or diminish our prayer process. As we see above, Jesus recommended we go into a small, quiet room and pray.

In his book Mystically Wired, Pastor Ken Wilson asserts that many Christians fail in their prayer and devotional lives because they make it too hard on themselves. They make unrealistic demands and set themselves up for failure. God intended for us to enjoy prayer. It is meant to be a relaxing and refreshing time in His marvelous presence. I’ve mentioned some techniques that might help enrich your prayer time including listening to God, imagining meeting with God, and ruminating on specific words from scripture. But today let’s spend some time considering where we pray.

We should prepare for prayer the same way we might prepare for a date with our spouse, making it a special time to meet with the lover of our souls. Choose a place that is quiet and comforting. A place that will bring you joy. A place that is special to you. That way when you go to this place, your body will immediately respond with positive associations. As you have wonderful prayer times in this place, those associations will continue to grow. It doesn’t always have to be the same exact place. I have three places in my house where I like to pray. Find what works best for you.

Next, think about your posture. What helps you enter into prayer and focus on God? Kneeling, laying prostrate on the floor, sitting with your hands folded? For me it’s usually sitting cross-legged or with my knees tucked to my chest in an overstuffed chair or on a plush carpet. It could be lying in bed…or showering…or driving in your car. There’s never a “bad” place or way to talk to God and petition him. However, some environments and positions help us to better enter his presence and hear from him in return.

When you first begin to pray, consider taking some slow deep breaths to relax yourself and enjoy the moment. Imagine breathing in the presence of God and breathing out all the stress of your day.

Here are some other tools that might contribute to your prayer experience.

1) Art work: Anything beautiful that lifts the soul, photos of nature, religious artwork, even a relaxing screensaver

2) Water: a trickling fountain or sounds of the ocean or rain

3) Fire: candles, a fireplace, a campfire, or a virtual fire

4) Scent: incense or a relaxing aroma like lavender or vanilla

5) Bible: a special Bible with personal significance in a translation you love

6) Devotional Books: prayers, scripture collections, poems, writings in God’s voice

7) Journal: for recording what God speaks to you and your own poems and prayers

8) Music: classical music, instrumental music, especially worship music

I keep this website book marked because it streams beautiful “soaking” worship music all day long. http://www.soaking.net/

Give thought to what blesses you during your prayer time and keep those items handy in one place. It won’t be all of the prayer aids I mentioned. Certainly not all at the same time. I once experimented with lighting a scented candle, running a fountain, and playing worship music all at the same time. By the time I was done I had entered sensory overload and was completely distracted. But I have been blessed by all of these items individually during my prayer sessions.

This post would not be complete without mentioning the place I spend most of my personal prayer time—what Ken Wilson calls the “outdoor cathedral.” Like many others, I feel closest to God in nature with no ceiling over my head. I love to listen to the birdsong, the rustle of the breeze. To watch scampering squirrels, waddling ducks, and soaring hawks. Even little ants busy at work. There I can see, feel, hear, taste, and smell God all around me. I do much of my praying in conjunction with walking and biking. And can you guess my favorite prayer place of all? Along the beach, of course :)

This post should allow for some good discussion. How do you enjoy praying? Where do you pray? Do you use any aids in prayer? Might any of these suggestions enrich your prayer life? Do you have any suggestions for us today?

Shut Up and Listen!

2011-07-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

You don't believe because you're not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand. The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief. No one could ever get them away from him. I and the Father are one heart and mind. ~ John 10:25-30

I don’t know about you, but I grew up in a church where prayer was mostly about talking at God…with words. And this process, for reasons I’ve shared during my last few faith posts, didn’t work out well for me. So I’ve been blogging about different tools to add to our prayer and devotional times to help us better tune into the spiritual world and truly communicate with God.

This week I want to talk about the simple process of listening to God with our inner ears. Considering the fact that God is all-knowing and all-powerful, you’d think we’d want to stop and hear what he has to say. I mean, I could spend hours talking to him about my problems. Maybe that would make me feel better. Probably it would just get me more worked up. Besides, he’s already intimately acquainted with me. So wouldn’t it be better to listen and hear what he wants me to know.

Yet don’t most people spend 90% of their prayer time spouting lists at God, or worse yet, trying to order him around and inform him how he should fix the world. I’m sorry, but this strikes me as a terrible plan.

So why don’t people spend more time being quiet and still and listening to God? Maybe because it can be a little scary. Maybe because we’re afraid we’ll fail. Maybe because it requires a loss of control. But listening to God is the most life-changing kind of prayer there is.

Some of the techniques I’ve shared recently like meditating on words and phrases from scripture or imagining God can be helpful in listening. Deep breathing, quoting short scriptures, soaking in quiet worship music, or time spent in nature can also be helpful.

Perhaps the most helpful tool is journaling. By writing down the thoughts, feelings, and impressions that bubble up from that well deep inside of us, we allow them to flow free. Choose not to analyze, but just to capture it all on paper. Then later you can compare what God has spoken to you with the word of God or share it with a spiritual advisor.

What will God’s voice sound like? Fair enough question.

God rarely speaks in an audible voice. You have to quiet your own thoughts to hear his still quiet voice deep in your heart. And it does tend to feel as if it come from somewhere in your chest. God’s words will often take you by surprise and sound like nothing you could have come up with on your own. There is a sense of “flow.” They will bring peace and comfort. They will sound of authority. Even if they convict, they will do so with love and compassion. They will strengthen you and give you hope. They should always align with scripture and will sometimes even take the form of scripture.

Our own thoughts usually come from somewhere in the vicinity of our head. They tend to be logical and predictable. Most of us are pretty familiar with our own thoughts. They often run in circles and get us nowhere.

Satan’s voice can be the trickiest, but you’ll quickly learn to tell the difference. This voice brings negative emotions: fear, anger, hopelessness, condemnation, bitterness etc… It might sound good on the surface, but you can tell it by the fruit it produces. It accuses and twists the truth. Satan loves to use words like “always” and “never” and work you into a frenzy, the opposite of the peace of God. His words twist in your gut and can feel like they come from that area. Rebuke the devil in the name of Jesus when these thoughts attempt to invade.

Don’t focus on Satan, though. Focus on God. He is the good shepherd and his children know his voice. Spend time with him. Learn to listen to him. Use the tools that best help you to relate to him and hear him speak.

So the next time you pray, remember, stop talking so much and listen already.

What helps you listen to God? How do you identify his voice? Have you ever tried keeping a prayer journal?

Open the Eyes of My Heart

2011-06-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

In my recent posts, "With Unveiled Faces" and "Divine Reading," I’ve been sharing ways I’ve discovered to better tap into our spiritual senses and interact with the kingdom of God that dwells within every believer. First I proposed that we have spiritual senses, but they are generally crowded out by our more powerful physical senses. Then I offered a way to read the Bible in which we savor each word and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us about it throughout the day.

This week I would like to talk about a style of relating to God that has revolutionized my personal life more than any other. It is the simple practice of engaging the imagination, otherwise known as the eyes of our hearts, in encountering God.

For much of my life I had a hard time praying, meditating on God, and hearing from God. What would happen was basically this, I would try to talk to God in words. Meanwhile, my mind would be flooded with images, daydreams, feelings, and distractions. It was like I was trying to talk at God through a radio script while the television was blasting right in front of my face. And I didn’t know how to turn the dumb thing off. As far as listening to God in such a state, well…just forget it.

Then I finally learned the secret. While you can’t turn off that inner television set, you can change the channel. You can use that inner imaging system to focus on God. You can picture meeting with him. Looking into his face. You can tune your thoughts to a favorite image of God from the Bible. The shepherd. The king on his throne. The loving father. Jesus the carpenter. The dove. Or something in nature that speaks to you of God’s divinity. The ocean. The mountains. A sunset. A campfire. You name it. Perhaps you can even meet with God on that mountaintop or beach and have a conversation, or hug, right there.

Somehow I had never thought of that. It seemed too simple. Almost like make-believe. But it is the way to engage all of ourselves in the process of prayer. To focus our whole minds on God’s presence. And here I thought a vision would have to be all super-natural and block out my normal eyesight. Not that it couldn’t happen, I suppose. But don’t you find that God often moves in much gentler, simpler, harder to pin down ways that require a bit of faith.

The ancient Hebrews knew about this. They understood dreams and visions. They understood that we had spiritual eyes that needed to look into the face of God. Imagine is one definition for the Hebrew word for meditate. The medieval Christians understood this as well. They called it Visio Divina. Who knows, maybe every Christian in the world besides me somehow understood this. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow vaguely dim in the light of his glory and grace.” Seems like this idea has been around for a long time. Maybe I just missed it. But since I did, I want to make sure no one else misses it like me.

In fact, while reading the Bible you can use this same inner imaging system. You can picture yourself living Bible stories. Imagine what it would have been like to walk with Paul, to listen to Jesus on the Mount of Olives, to go to battle beside King David. More importantly, you can engage your faith by picturing what it would look like if scripture were truer than your circumstances. How that would change your life.

I first stumbled upon this concept when my kids were small. I would worry when I left them with the babysitter. Picturing all sorts of horrible things happening to them. Prayer didn’t seem to help. Quoting scriptures just felt like some fear-ridden attempt at Christian magic spells. Finally it hit me. I could pray, maybe quote those scriptures, then I would picture the kids safe at home playing happily with their babysitter and surrounded by the angels. What a difference that made. My fear would melt away, and I could enjoy my outing.

As I’ve mentioned before. Maybe this isn’t the thing for you. Or maybe you aren’t as dense as I am, and you figured this out long ago. But for others of you, this simple technique might hold the key to deepening your awareness of the spiritual kingdom, relating to God, and hearing his voice. I hope for someone today, this is just the thing you’ve been searching for.

How do you picture God? Where is your favorite place to meet with him? If you could take a three day vacation, just you and God, where would you like to spend it?

Divine Reading

2011-06-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I’ve recently become a part-time acquisitions editor for WhiteFire Publishing. Probably the coolest unexpected perk has been the opportunity to peek at amazing books long before the general public will see them. I found one that especially ministered to me on a very personal level and helped me to grow in my faith.

This book is a narrative style non-fiction. The writing is lovely and the stories of women poignant. But more than that, the writer herself knew how to tap into God for healing and strength. I can't promise that WhiteFire will publish it. All I can say is I hope they do. Even if they don't, I'm incredibly grateful that God brought this blessing into my life.

A few weeks ago in my post titled “With Unveiled Faces” I passed along this premise: we are all spiritually wired, but we are also spiritually challenged. We have spiritual eyes, and ears, and feelings, but we don’t know how to use them. We don’t trust them. They often get crowded out by our physical senses. And this is probably most true in the Western culture. Think about it. Why are there more miracles in third world countries? Is it simply because they need them more? Or might it be that without our Western logic and education, they are more open to mystery and wonder?

I find it helpful to go back before our current culture to traditions used by ancient Hebrews and medieval Christians to learn how to tap into our spiritual wiring. To use our spiritual senses. To discover the divine.

The unpublished book I had the pleasure of reading focused on one specific technique called lectio divina. According to Wikipedia, “Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or 'holy reading,' and represents a traditional Catholic practice of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God and to increase in the knowledge of God's Word. It is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to study, ponder, listen and, finally, pray and even sing and rejoice from God's Word, within the soul.”

In lectio divina, you don’t rush through scripture trying to meet your quota of chapters for the day. You relish it. You dwell on it. You read until you find that one word that really sparks something in you. That word that lights up, full of life. Then you pray about that word throughout the day. Meditate on it. Mull it over. Ask God to speak to you his truth about how this simple word or phrase should impact your life. In Hebrew the term is a rhema word.

Which means, really it’s just another method for finding intimacy with Christ. For awakening those inner senses and hearing from God. Because what good are lifeless words on a page without the Holy Spirit to help us rightly understand and divide the word of God. Without God’s direction and inspiration, we all know, people can read nothing more than their own prejudices and presuppositions into the Bible.

Lectio divina is only one of many techniques for tapping into God’s kingdom that dwells within you. In the coming weeks I hope to cover many more. But maybe, just maybe, this will be the one to spark you and bring your spiritual senses alive in a new way. If you’ve struggled with your quiet time, why not give it a try. Read just a few verses, and allow God to speak his rhema word to your heart.

Let me end with a quick little poem I wrote years ago on this topic.

I am giddy with the words of God

that flow like amber wine.

They are honey sweet, delicately spiced,

each one a world to itself,

alive and teeming, sparks flying,

glimmering in multi-faceted rays,

a rainbow of truth to touch each heart

with the idyllic shade of light.

Otherwise, too bright, white hot,

like gazing into the sun.

What scripture or specific word has stood out to you recently? What techniques have you found that enrich your quiet times with God? How do you tap into your spiritual senses?

With Unveiled Faces

2011-05-23T05:37:00.001-07:00

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ~ II Cor. 3:18

I started to write this post yesterday and intended to call it “Through a Glass Darkly” or even “Dark Glass Ponderings.” You see, these words have been rolling through my head for over a month now. I’ve been ruminating on their definitions and their impact on my life. What does it mean to see through a glass darkly? To look into a dim glass and ponder? What do we detect? Over time do we begin to distinguish shadows and shapes? Do our eyes attune to something very real on the other side?

Perhaps this all started when I picked up a book called Mystically Wired by Ken Wilson. Don’t worry, I’m not about to go all New Age on you. Simply substitute the word “spiritual” for “mystical” and relax. Wilson’s basic premise is this: we are all spiritually wired, but we are also spiritually challenged. Our minds have actually been created by God to fellowship with him and to discern the spiritual kingdom in and around us. Scientists have proven that prayer stimulates a unique area of the brain and that spiritual interest is at least in part based on genetics. As the Bible describes, we have spiritual senses, spiritual eyes and spiritual ears, perhaps even more. However, we are also mystically challenged, meaning we do not typically know how to use them.

Our normal five senses for detecting the physical world are so much stronger and clearer than our spiritual senses that we tend to dismiss them. I like to say that God is always speaking if only we’ll be quiet enough to listen. Our physical senses tend to crowd out our spiritual senses. They clamor for our attention. In order to regularly and efficiently commune with God, we must go to that still quiet place and learn to engage our spiritual senses. We must attune that inner ear and that inner eye. Take time to stare into that glass until the shapes and patterns become familiar enough that they begin to make sense. Until we trust ourselves to detect and understand them.

Wilson takes this analogy even farther by talking about something called “blindsight.” This occurs when a person’s eyes work, but the processing center for sight in the brain is somehow inhibited. Although individuals experiencing this condition cannot “see” in the traditional sense, they show a remarkable ability to dodge unfamiliar obstacles. While their brain is not giving them the visual messages in a logical manner, they are in fact able to see on some sort of intuitive level, and can even learn to better use and trust their “blindsight.”

Faith is like “blindsight.” Although we can’t quite grasp it with our minds, some part of us “knows,” and we must learn to trust in that knowledge and harness it to change our lives. Prayer can feel like “blindsight.” We can’t prove that God is speaking to us and giving us visions, and yet we “know” that he is, and that awareness of God will transform us into his image.

I had planned to leave the post there. Looking into darkness. Then this morning, I was having devotional time with my sons and came across II Corinthians 3:18. It seems that when we were dead to sin our spiritual eyes were completely veiled, but that as we are transformed into the image of Christ we begin to see his glory more and more clearly. Perhaps that glass begins to shine and glow as we stare into it and are changed by it. Perhaps our spiritual eyes can be unveiled as we are transformed into the image of Christ. Perhaps things don’t have to stay so dark on this side of eternity.

Something new for you and me to ruminate about over the next few months.

I encourage you to pray about this scripture and ask God to reveal a new depth of meaning to you. Which word stands out? What might God want to show you about this word? So many good ones to choose from “unveiled,” “contemplate,” “transformed,” “ever-increasing,” “image,” “glory” just to name a few. Consider journaling about one of these words. Trust your inner senses and allow God to speak to you. And if you don’t mind, share with us as well.

Top Five Reasons to Admire a Viking

2011-05-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hi, friends. Here is a funny little post I think you will enjoy from my friend and fellow author, Michelle Griep. Be sure to read about her awesome newly released Viking novel at the bottom :)

Top 5 Reasons to Admire a Viking

1. Sweet Texting Skills

The Viking alphabet, the Futhark, is a series of straight lines. Super easy to carve into a stick, a skull, what-have-you. Much of their communication has been unearthed by archeologists, down to shopping lists, threats, and love notes.

2. Viking Men Put Metrosexuals to Shame

Contrary to popular belief, Vikings were a meticulously clean and well-dressed people group. Unlike the English, they didn’t hold any ridiculous superstitions about bathing opening the door to demon possession. Once a week they soaked in their bubble bath and daily combed out their hair. Clothing was bright and fashionable, often incorporating imported silks and furs.

3. Debt Free Living

These people paid their debts and paid them fast—or were kicked out of the country. Everything had a monetary value, even a life. If you killed someone, you had to reimburse the deceased’s family (called wergild).

4. CEO Determination

They knew what they wanted and went after it. Gold and silver, mostly, though land was high on their list as well. And if a Viking showed up on your doorstep, you’d probably better cooperate. They employed ruthless practices such as the ‘blood eagle’ (I won’t go into detail to spare the squeamish at heart, but let’s just say this activity involved surgical skill, bone cracking, and organ removal).

5. Packers Suck

Enough said.

Now that your appetite is whetted for big, beefy Vikings, there’s a book you really shouldn’t pass up. Take a trip back in time and experience these wild and winsome people in UNDERCURRENT…

People go missing every day. Many meet with foul play, some leave the social grid by choice, but others are never accounted for. Such is the fate of successful linguistics professor Cassie Larson. She leads a life her undergrad students hope to attain, until she tumbles into the North Sea and is sucked into a swirling vortex…and a different century.

Alarik, son of a Viking chieftain, is blamed for a murder he didn’t commit—or did he? He can’t remember. On the run, saving a half-drowned foreign woman wasn’t in his plans.

Ragnar is a converted pagan shunned by many but determined to prove his Cousin Alarik’s innocence. He didn’t count on falling in love with Cassie or the deadly presence of evil that threatens his village in Alarik’s absence.

UNDERCURRENT…dare to be swept away. Available now at Amazon or Risen Books

From the Editors Desk

2011-05-02T05:31:00.000-07:00

In the past few months something new and exciting has happened in my career. I’ve become an acquisitions editor for WhiteFire Publishing, the small press that recently contracted my medieval novel. If you don’t know what an acquisitions editor does, in layman’s terms, I help pick the books we publish.

On one hand, I was surprised to realize that after spending so many years figuring out how to write books, I actually knew exactly what I was looking for. How to spot the duds, the not-ready-yets, the don’t-fit-our-lines, and even the true gems. I realized I can detect plot holes, pacing issues, point of view problems, and even restructuring needs. On the other hand, I’ve learned so much about life on the editor’s side of the desk in just a few short weeks. Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes and all that.

I’m not quite sure I’ve gone a whole mile yet ;) But I’ve certainly discovered enough to fill a blog post. So I’m going to tell you what it’s like to be an editor. What they’re looking for. What makes them happy. What makes them sad. What makes them gag. And I think most of this information applies to agents as well.

1) Editors are cheering for you. They want to find good books. Every time they open a file their fingers are crossed, and they hope against hope that this will be “the one.” Even if the query letter is not perfect, they think maybe you just didn’t spend enough time on it. They peruse your proposal hoping to find something to get excited about. And even if it’s not perfect, if there’s some potential in the proposal, they peek at the writing sample dreaming that it will wow them. Unfortunately, it rarely does. So after the mediocre query, the so so proposal, and the lackluster first page or two, they give up, hoping the next one will be better.

2) Editors are looking for something special. As you may have noticed in point number one, editors are looking for some aspect of your book that will wow them. A great voice. An exciting premise. A cool plot twist. An unusual character. An amazing bio. Something—anything—that will stand out from the crowd. You probably have five minutes to catch an editors initial interest. If you do catch it, you might have 20-30 minutes to convince them they should read the full manuscript. If they request the entire book, they are definitely on your side hoping it will work. At this point you’ve proved your book is at the least a diamond in the rough. If it seems easy enough to polish, they will likely recommend it for publication.

3) Editors are looking for something that will fit. While editors want something special and unique to stand out about your book and catch their interest, they also want something that will connect to their company’s goals and their existing titles. For example, WhiteFire’s current books are historical, romantic, spiritual, artistic, adventurous, edgy, and exotic. So we’re looking to branch out with books that overlap our existing line in certain areas and that will appeal to our customers in some way.

4) Editors are looking for people to say yes to. Often editors say no to good books because they can only say yes a limited number of times. They might like your book, but like another book even more. Or they might need a different book to fill a certain slot in their line. I know that next year WhiteFire will be looking to expand in certain directions. So we will be especially looking out for those books. The following year our needs might change.

5) Editors are looking for books they like. Editors are people. Readers. Booklovers, not so different from you. If they don’t like a book, they’re not going to get excited about it. They’re not going to want to work with it for a year or more. They’re not going to try to convince a committee to purchase it. So in addition to learning about the company, learn what the specific editors enjoy and chose.

6) Editors will not dig out the gem in your book. Sometimes an editor will look at a proposal and say, “Hmm, there might be something here.” But if your writing doesn’t quickly and clearly demonstrate that you know your business and have the skill to properly execute your idea, then forget it. While an editor might be willing to chisel off a few rough edges, polish up your gem, and put it in a pretty setting, they are not in the business of starting with a lump of coal and trying to find diamonds. You have to prove to them that you’ve done the work and the gem does indeed exist.

7) Editors get annoyed. When people waste an editors (and especially agents for this one) time with proposals that aren’t professional, books that don’t fit their guidelines, amateur writing, sloppy manuscripts, etc…guess what—editors get annoyed. Don’t annoy them.

8) Editors are nice to people they know and like. Now please don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not talking about nepotism here. No editor is going to publish your book just because they know you and like you. But the simple fact of life is that people go out of their way for people they like. So an editor will give more time to a proposal from a writer that they like. They’ll search a little harder for that gem. If they think it might be there somewhere, they’re more likely to offer advice and ask for a revised version. Or to ask you to write something different that will fit their current needs.

I think there’s a common thread to all these points. Editors are real live people. So go to conferences. Meet them. Find out what they’re looking for, what their interests are. Do they have any pets? Treat them with respect, but get to know them as real people. If you don’t connect, that’s okay, find one you do connect with. The acquisitions process isn’t as cryptic as you might think.

Editors buy quality books they enjoy and can sell from people they want to work with.

Pretty simple.

Do you have any questions about the editing or acquisitions process? Have you had any positive or negative experiences we might learn from? If you had the opportunity to be an acquisitions editor, what would you look for in a book?

The Fine Art of Insincerity by Angela Hunt

2011-04-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

My interest was immediately piqued by the back cover copy of this novel. “With ten marriages between them, three Southern sisters wonder if they’ve inherited they’re grandmother’s tendency for serial marriage.” Although this book is at the heart a sisterhood-style relationship novel, Hunt’s vibrant imagination brings it to life and engages the reader right from the start.

Within the first few chapters we discover that sister Rosemary is planning her own suicide while Penny is about to embark on an affair with a handsome doctor. How’s that to get a relationship novel about love and commitment started with a bang? Trouble also seems to be brewing in the twenty-seven year marriage of the relatable, Christian sister Ginger.

Roesmary’s appointment with suicide is postponed when their deceased grandmother’s beach house is finally sold, and the three women plan to meet there to pack and clean. Their weekend together will reveal a lifetime of secrets and force them to see the world through new eyes. While Hunt takes ample time to develop the intricacies of sisterhood and delve into the past, the present moment crises in each of their lives keeps the story moving at strong pace.

No matter which character you relate to, responsible, duty-bound Ginger, flighty, defensive Penny, or wounded, heartsick Rosemay, this book will leave you in someway changed. Personally, as I approach the second half of my life I find I am more interested in books about how to maintain a marriage and raise a godly family than in books about fairytale romance. This one certainly fit the bill, providing a compelling read while presenting valuable truths. I found myself identifying with each of the women on differing levels and truly enjoyed this journey through the terrain of relationships.

With only one nominally Christian character, the spiritual content of this book is presented in a subtle and very realistic manner. However, by the end the reader is left with a clear Biblical worldview on the subjects of love, marriage, commitment, and forgiveness.

Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer's Conference

2011-04-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

In a few short weeks I'll be heading out to the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference where I will be on staff, representing WhiteFire Publishing as an acquisitions editor. This conference holds a special place in my heart, and so I wanted to take a few moments to share with you about it.

We pause for a commercial break....just kidding.

Blue Ridge is special to me for a number of reasons. Two years ago at this time I had never been to a writers conference. The idea scared the heck out of me, but I had been told repeatedly it was something I had to do if I wanted a writing career. Of all the conferences advertised online, Blue Ridge looked the most appealing with its relaxed mountain setting. In March of 2009, I had met a random Christian writer from Roanoke at a book festival, and so Allison and I decided we would bite the bullet together and attend Blue Ridge. Surely even for a die-hard introvert such as myself the conference couldn't be a complete nightmare with a roommate in tow.

Along the drive I followed the tips I had been given about attending conferences. I listened to worship music and prayed that God would direct my paths during the week. When I arrived hours before my security blanket Allison, the mountain scenery was every bit as gorgeous and relaxing as I had hoped. I braved a tour all on my own with business cards in hand, and within the first hour had already made a handful of friends. Allison joined me. We attended dinner and the opening meeting, and by bed time I realized--I had come home.

This conference was my mother ship!!!

After 38 years of walking the planet as a virtual alien, I had found my people. I wasn't shy in this setting. I could talk to anyone. I had more in common with that strange 65-year-old guy at the dinner table than with most of the women at my church. What fun! And the week just got better from there. I found my first agent. I figured out what was still wrong with my novel--enabling me to fix it before sending to said agent and therefore wow her. I was inspired by the speakers. I spent amazing time hiking and chilling in the prayer gardens next to the cool, gurgling mountain stream (okay, I admit it, sometimes in the cool, gurgling mountain stream ;) God even opened unexpected doors for me to minister to others.

By the time I came home I was brimming with energy and my career was at a whole new place. My husband said it was the best $500 he ever spent (oh, did I forget to mention this is one of the most affordable conferences around?)

So if you are a writer in any genre in need of encouragement, instruction, networking opportunities, spiritual refreshment, or even just a lot of fun, I recommend that you check out Blue Ridge this year.

What are you waiting for? I mean now...http://www.brmcwc.com/

Writing Thoughts from Mia Michaels

2011-03-31T06:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to Atlanta with my daughter for The Pulse. This is a huge convention for dancers taught by famous choreographers including many of those featured on So You Think You Can Dance. As a former and sometimes current dancer and choreographer myself, I enjoy watching this weekend as much as my daughter enjoys participating in it.

An extra treat for me this year, was that she moved up to the “Advanced Professional” room. The truth was, the choreography presented in this room really wasn’t much different than that in the “Intermediate” or “Advanced” mega-ballrooms. However, only about a hundred of the thousand or so students made the cut for pro, and so the attitude of the dancers and the teachers was on a whole different level. The teachers spoke to them as dedicated artists who had studied their craft and deserved respect for their many years of hard work. They shared inside tidbits into the industry and the artist’s life.

If you’re not familiar with Mia Michaels, she is a multi-Emmy-Award-winning choreographer. More than that, she is an incredibly spiritual woman who draws from some deep inner-well most people have never discovered. Year after year on the show, dancers stand before the camera with tears streaming down their faces declaring Mia’s choreography has forever changed their lives. She calls them to crack open their chests and dance from a place deep within.

After teaching an achingly beautiful piece to the “Advanced Professional” group, Mia started sharing from her heart about the dancer’s journey. (Image tear drops on the post, because I’m crying already just remembering that magical moment.) She said that while people have let her down, her body, even performances had let her down, dance was the one thing that had always been there for her. Dance was her bliss. Her breath. Her reason for being. You have to love the dance--the art--for itself. Not for the outer trappings that come with it. You must be willing to find that place of truth and let it pour out.

Then she asked them to break into groups and dance.

Not just the choreography. They would begin with the minute long piece she taught them, after which they would break into spontaneous movement for another several minutes until the end of the song. As I watched these dancers pouring out their hearts and souls onto the floor through their own shapes and rhythms, it hit me: I could apply every word of that inspiring speech to my writing.

Tears streamed down my face to match those of the dancers upon the floor. It was all I could do not to crumble into full blown sobs.

In that moment, I realized. Publishers will let me down. Sales will let me down. Reviews will let me down. But writing…writing for the pure and unadulterated bliss of stringing words on paper to create a story world, a piece of art…that will never let me down.

More importantly, the marvelous God who has called me to this incredible journey will never let me down.

Exercising "The Rules" of Fiction

2011-03-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ~ Mark 2:27

Those of us who are fiction writers hear a lot about “the rules.” I recently heard a new one—that similes are unacceptable. Are you kidding me!!! I’m a poet. A well-executed, well-timed simile is like a feast for the senses. Of course, an ill-executed, ill-timed simile can make you want to gag up said feast. Hmm…maybe that’s the point. It’s all about how well you do it.

All of these so-called “rules of fiction writing” are just someone’s attempt to capture that ephemeral entity known “great writing” and put it in a bottle. To give you a concrete guideline. But the rules are a means and not an end unto themselves.

Here are Dina’s “Rules About the Rules.”

1) You can break any writing rule if you do it well.
2) Apply the 10% caveat: feel free to break any rule 10% of the time.
3) Over adherence to any single rule will result in breaking another.

I’ve seen too many friends run in circles by Dina's rule #3. And no wonder when critiquers and judges shoot out comments like sniper bullets. They often give vague advice with no real training on how to apply the advice. The writer thinks they’ve applied the advice and gets in trouble with another judge or critiquer who seems to tell her to change it back.

The real problem is, the writer misunderstood and misapplied “the rule.” Let me give you some examples.

Often writers are told they shouldn’t have backstory for the first 30 or even 50 pages. True and not true. We need to have a feel for who these people are after all. What we can’t have is long, boring backstory dump. But please, do weave in hints and quick targeted details. A mention of lingering tension between the character and her mother in the dialogue. A hint of her history with the hero linked to a sensory detail. Perhaps tell us her occupation in her internal monologue. You can give us backstory…if you do it well.

Here’s another one. A friend of mine was recently (oh no! adverb usage) told she had too much description. So she stripped it all out. What? Description is the basis for setting. And the reader couldn’t picture the scene at all. You need setting. What you don’t need is long, boring description in list-like fashion. But please, do weave setting into the action. Show the character interacting with the setting. Allow it to spark her inner monologue. Let us experience the sensory details along with her. You can give us description…if you do it well.

We all know clichés can never, ever be used in fiction. But, wait! (beware of exclamation points) What if you have one specific person in the story who clings to the safe and familiar never venturing out on their own. Clichés in their dialogue can actually strengthen characterization. I would argue that you can use clichés (say it with me everyone)…if you do it well.

Yes fellow writers, rule #1 is true. You can do anything. You just need to do it well. This reminds me of a corollary in the dance world (being very careful not to word this as a simile. Sheesh people!) Sometimes you’ll see a novice dancer who thinks that because she can kick her leg to head height, that she’s ready to be a professional.

Not true.

What she doesn’t understand is that her foot must be turned out, her hip properly fixed in place, her knee straight, her toes pointed into a lovely arch, her arms situated in the correct position. All at the same time.

And how do professional dancers learn a proper kick? By a judge or critiquer telling them once. No no no, my friends. By doing thousands of hours of exercises to strengthen, hone, and stretch their muscles. By starting with small foot brushes on the floor and slowly working up to big kicks to maintain proper technique.

Yes, it (yikes! not an it) takes training. Years and years of long, hard training. You don’t get to say, “I’ve watched plenty of dance recitals. I can do that.” You have to put in the work to develop the strength, skill, and technique yourself.

The “rules” are not a quick-fix to great writing. Writing, and writing, and writing creates great writing. Studying the craft, attending conferences, taking classes. These are the keys to great writing.

So, my fellow writers, as the next round of critiques comes along to bludgeon you in the head, don’t get discouraged. Get back out on the dance floor and exercise your fiction muscles (gracious me, did I just mix metaphors?!?!), understanding that it will take time, patience, and practice to become great.

For those of you who aren't writers, what really bothers you in a book? What rules do you wish authors would follow? Also, how can you apply this lesson to other areas of your life? And for my fellow writers, what rules do you love? Which ones do you despise? Have you been caught in a circle with rule #3?

Amazing New Finds in Fiction!!!!

2011-03-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been discovering more and more Christian fiction writers of a high literary quality. You've probably heard me go on and on about Lisa Samson and Roseanna White already. Now let me add to that list Tosca Lee, Patti Lacy, and Laura Frantz. Allow me to share a few thoughts on some of their new books.

Jewel of Persia by Roseanna White

Having read Roseanna's first novel, I knew to expect beautiful writing, heart-stopping romance, amazing characters, exquisite insight into history and human psychology, and even interesting philosophical conversations. However, this book came with an unexpected bonus in the form of a spiritual warfare thread reminiscent of Frank Peretti. And the author tied it in seamlessly with actual historical facts from the Greek accounts of their war with Persia. You may think you've read the Esther story, but never like this. It is told from the perspective of Kasia, one of Xerxes many wives and childhood friend of Esther. The glimpse into the struggle of being one wife of many is unique enough, but Kasia is also Xerxes's true love. She is torn between her very real feelings for the hunky king and her heart-ache over his often capricious actions, allowing the author to weave themes of love, forgiveness, and serving God that you won't soon forget. This book has everything. It's on my favorite list already.

Rhythm of Secrets by Patti Lacy

This incredible book will touch your heart. I confess that I struggled with the dense language and shadowy secrets in the beginning. However, due to the lovely musical quality and important themes of racism and legalism, I pressed on. I'm so glad I did. This book gets better and better with each turn of the page. The ending is one of the best I've ever had the pleasure of readng. It weaves an incredible portrait of grace with unexpected twists and turns. Beautifully paced, insightful, deep, and spiritual. You don't want to miss this book.

Havah: The Story of Eve by Tosca Lee
I'm still processing this book. It affected me on a very deep level. The writing style was simply to die for. Much of the novel reads like a gorgeous prose poem. The juxtaposition of explosive joy and unutterable sadness was almost more than my heart could bear. I never dreamed of reading a CBA book with such earthy sensuality. It ministered to my spirit something radical in the realm of sexual politics and the male/female relationship that my subconscious is still working out. All I know for sure is that this book changed my life.

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz

I'm still reading this one, but I've heard so many great things about Laura Frantz. Here's what I've loved so far. Both the writing craft and the artistry of the book are impeccable. And while it is incredibly romantic, it doesn't follow some of the annoying rules of genre romance. We don't even meet the hero for quite a while. There are no overblown "motives" or "goals" driving the book. It's simply the story of a young woman who longs for love, family, security, and meaning like each one of us. And I adore that Laura has a half-breed Indian in a lead role in the story. This is supposed to be a no no in Christian fiction, yet there it is. I've avoided setting a historical in American because this is exactly the sort of plot that appeals to me: slaves, Indians, injustice, complicated relationships and emotions. And I've been told they wouldn't sell. Thanks, Laura, for proving otherwise.

Stop and Smell the Flowers

2011-03-03T17:31:00.001-08:00

I wanted to call this “Joy in the Journey,” but it just seemed too cliché. I’ve been hearing a lot lately about the joy in the journey, about writing being its own reward. It seems everywhere I go lately, I’ve been met by this refrain. I’ve even had an old Michael Card song with that name playing in my mind as the soundtrack for my life. Then on Monday, I was overcome with an urge to drive to library and take out Bird by Bird, and guess what, entire chapters dedicated to enjoying the journey.

I think God must be trying to tell me something. I had to really sit myself down and ask the tough question, am I enjoying the process of writing? Do I want to be published? Do I want to have written a book? Or do I write for the sheer joy of writing? And those questions helped me to see where I’ve veered slightly off track. You see, I used to be content writing, just me and God. I was happy with that situation for several years. And then something changed.

I came out of the closet and confessed to being a writer.

Even then, I warned people, it takes at least five years to see your first book on the shelf. But guess what…five years hits this May, and there’s no way I’ll have a book on the shelves by then. And I realized, I don’t want to be a failure. It’s embarrassing to have to tell people time and time again, “No news yet.” I want to be good at what I do. I was a straight A student. People expected great things of me. And I expected great things of myself.

Which is odd, when I tell everyone else that you simply need to accomplish what God is calling you to each day and not worry about the world’s definition of success. I’ve been living a double standard. Which pretty much boils down to pride.

Ouch. Not something I wanted to know about myself. And I can’t say that the revelation itself will make me instantly okay with waiting another five, or ten, or twenty years for publication. But at least I’m aware of it now, and it’s helping to put things in perspective.

As is realizing the importance of enjoying every step of this process. Right now, I can write when I want to. I can flit off to the beach just because the sun is shining. I can savor coffee with friends just because there is coffee to be savored. I can lounge out back on the hammock just to smell the flowers and listen to the birds sing. I’ve reached a certain level of success where I can call myself a novelist, and yet I don’t have the deadlines and pressures of a published author yet. I don’t have to read wretched reviews about my work on amazon. Might as well enjoy the moment.

You know why, because if I don’t learn to enjoy this moment, I won’t enjoy any of the others along the way either. I’ll always be waiting for the next big contract, my first award, my chance on the best-seller list. It will never be enough. I’ve known these authors. I’ve known these people. The ones who are never content and always striving for something more. For the next step. And I don’t want to be one of them.

So today, I stop to smell the flowers. And someday in the future, I’ll turn off amazon and take a deep breath to do it again. Because if you can’t enjoy the moment that you’re in, what’s the point in living?

Love, Passion, and Laurie Alice Eakes

2011-02-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

I recently finished Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes, and I imagine if you google it, you can find lots of reviews online. You can even find a great interview with her hero on Roseanna White’s blog, which I highly recommend.

So, instead of offering just a typical review, I wanted to share some of the thoughts this book stirred for me concerning love, passion, and romance. Let me begin by saying, it definitely gets five stars on the romance chart. The hero is so roguish and charming, he had my heart-racing throughout the book. I dare say I fell in love with Dominick right alongside Tabitha.

I adored the depth of passion between the hero and heroine as well. As I mentioned in several of my shorter online reviews, often when I read Christian romance, I can’t figure out what in the heck the authors are even writing about. I don’t see those can’t eat, can’t sleep, if you walk out that door right now I might just shrivel up and die sort of moments that I relate with the human experience of falling in love. I see two people slowly, gradually moving toward one another, but at the same time, all too easily talking themselves out of the attraction. Which leaves me to ask:

What planet do these people live on???

Now let me be fair, sometimes in a long standing friendship, especially one beginning in childhood, these feelings can come softly. But in general, in my experience, they hit much more like a freight train, or better yet, a steam roller. I don’t know, maybe it’s one of those wiring personality issues. Maybe "thinkers" feel the emotions, but ultimately their thoughts win out. But, I’m not a thinker. I’m a feeler. So even if I thought a guy was wrong for me, even though I might have managed to physically stay away from him, my heart would be killing me. My fingers screaming to graze his cheek. My eyes darting to catch a heated gaze. My lips tingling at the sound of his voice. Yes, the word passion in my tagline is not a typo.

I sensed this sort of passion between Tabitha and Dominick in Lady of the Mist, and was so happy to find it there. We need this sort of realism in Christian fiction. But, of course, as all good Christians who attended Sunday School know, we shouldn’t be guided by our passions. In fact, in my first novel, the hero who represents uncontrolled passion and desire turns out to be devastating for my heroine. With God’s help she is able to escape him and eventually make her way back to the man she’s destined to marry. So why did this passion and desire work so well in Laurie Alice’s book and not in mine.

The situation was entirely different. Tabitha and Dominick were both at a place in their lives where they had given up on God. (no, I’m not taking an easy cop-out here, stick with me for a minute.) They had both hardened their hearts to God for their own reasons and were trying to earn their salvation, a feat no one can attain. In this book, they wanted to harden their hearts to each other just like they had hardened their hearts to God. In fact, Tabitha didn’t want to trust Dominick, just like she didn’t want to trust God. So in their case, opening their hearts to one another actually helped them to soften their hearts to God. They had to trust their feelings and take a step of faith. They had to let go of old hurts and preconceptions in order for their romance to blossom. Not only had God ordained this relationship, he used them to promote healing in each other's lives. (I don’t need a spoiler alert here, right? We all knew from chapter one that they were going to get together. This is a romance novel.)

God gave us marriage, and yes, I’ll say it, sex, as a beautiful physical portrait of the spiritual intimacy he desires to have with us. So do I believe passion and romance belong in a Christian novel? Absolutely. As long as the author is clear to show how God is working through this romance, I believe it offers the best sort of message possible. And Laurie Alice Eakes, skilled author that she is, used it in just this way.

We all need to have that can’t eat, can’t sleep, if you walk out that door I might just shrivel up and die kind of love for our heavenly father. We should long for his touch, seek his gaze, tingle at the sound of his voice. And romantic fiction creates an interesting avenue to express this powerful truth.

Fiction that Cuts Deep

2011-02-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago one of my writing buddies made a shocking confession. “I want to write fiction that hurts people,” she said. “I just realized this about myself. Ultimately, I want it to get in there and break open wounds and clean them out so they can heal, but I think I also want to hurt people in the process. That's a problem.”

Yes, that is a problem. Just try selling that book. We do want our fiction to cut deep, but in a targeted sort of way. We need to use anesthesia (i.e. entertainment value), precise surgical tools (i.e. excellent writing technique), and don’t forget the pain meds (i.e. positive spiritual takeaway.)

The point can’t be to wound. The point must be to heal.

That being said, I crave fiction that cuts deep. I just finished Embrace Me by Lisa Samson. The book shattered me in the best sort of way. Yes, it hurt, and I loved it. No, I’m not a masochist, quite the opposite. But, I adore a book that gets in there and does surgery in my heart. That changes me and helps me grow. Here’s the blurb for Embrace Me:

When a "lizard woman," a self-mutilating preacher, a tattoed monk, and a sleazy lobbyist find themselves in the same North Carolina town one winter, their lives are edging precariously close to disaster . . . and improbably close to grace.

How could a book like that fail to touch you? It is described on amazon.com as, “Biting and gentle, hard-edged and hopeful . . . a beautiful fable of love and power, hiding and seeking, woundedness and redemption.” Lisa Samson is “An Artisan of Hope,” and in my opinion, a writer of the highest caliber. Dare I say, a literary author?

Lately I’ve been trying to figure out exactly what “literary fiction” is. Some say it excels in artistry and use of literary devices. Some say it focuses on character and theme more than plot. Some say it seeks to enrich more than entertain. On the other hand, some say it asks questions without answering them, or it’s depressing, or worst of all, that it’s written by pretentious snobs who think they’re too good for popular fiction. Given such a vast array of definitions, here’s my take.

Literary fiction: a rather useless term used by some as a compliment and others as an insult.

I’ve been called…or accused of being …a literary writer. And that’s not surprising since I’ve taught literature. I do give attention artistry and literary devices. I do tend to focus on theme more than plot and enriching more than entertaining. But most importantly, I want to write stories that change lives.

Call them whatever you want.

Fiction that cuts deep and changes lives can come in all sorts of packages. Readers have come to expect it in literary writing and angsty women’s fiction. But I’ve also found it in the romance novels of Ruth Axtel Morren. I’ve found it in the demented thrillers of Steven James, and the hysterical chick lit of Siri Mitchell.

Changing lives is what truly matters. Add in some artistic elements, as the above authors most certainly do, and you might just get the compliment…or insult…of being called a literary author. I’m not going to concern myself with the label anymore.

Ideally, quality Christian fiction should both entertain and enrich. That’s my goal. I want my writing to attract readers interest and then seep down in their hearts to change them in some small...or big...way. Most importantly, I want my writing to advance God’s kingdom on earth.

What is your definition for quality fiction? What do you look for in a novel? What does it take for a book to truly move you?

A Time to Dance

2011-02-01T15:09:00.001-08:00

Did you ever get just the right novel at just the right time? God seems to work that way a lot with me. This fall my husband went on a trip to Nashville and brought me a book for my “souvenir.” He figured with a name like A Time to Dance it would be a sure hit. I wasn’t quite convinced I would enjoy a Karen Kingsbury novel, but I kept that little tidbit to myself. I did, in fact, love the title as well. So into my TBR stack it went, and I promised myself I would get to it soon.

Once I finished my stint with reading sisterhood novels for my own research, I pulled out the Karen Kingsbury book. As some of you know, I have been going through some really tough times in my marriage, and around that precise moment I was closer to giving up than ever before.

So can you guess what A Time to Dance is about?

I’ll give you the brief rundown. After over twenty years of marriage, Abby and John are about to announce their impending divorce to their children. They’ve tried everything and have nothing left to give. But at the family meeting before they can share the news, their twenty-year-old daughter has her own surprise announcement to make. She’s engaged and getting married in the summer. Being the dedicated Christian parents that they are, Abby and John decide they will somehow figure out a way to paste on fake smiles and make it through six more months so their daughter’s day can be perfect.

The book is all about marriages. How do they fall apart? What makes them work? What happens when they end? Abby and John are surrounded by a lively cast of secondary characters who each reflect this issue in some way. And, as I’m sure you figured out by now, this novel touched me in a significant way. I can’t promise that you will respond to it as strongly, but I think anyone will find elements in this book to change them and help them grow.

Whether you have let yourself get caught up in the busyness of life and grow hard-hearted like Abby, escaped into an relaxing relationship with a supportive and flirtatious “buddy” like John, have given up on marriage like their future in-laws, or are looking forward to a perfect marriage like their daughter, no doubt you will find someone in this book to relate to.

I related most to John. Although he never had an affair, over time his escapism with his “buddy” Charlene Denton did serious damage to his marriage. The other woman in the book, Charlene, was quite a character indeed with her subtle and patient seduction of John. She will serve as a cautionary tale for me for a long time. But John played along all too easily and contributed in his own way.

Ultimately, the most important thing I learned from the book was this: it takes two people to destroy a marriage and two people to repair one. This novel encouraged me to do something God had asked me to do several weeks earlier, and that I had been wrestling with him over.

To take a leap of faith hand in hand with my husband.

So in a bold and unified move, my husband let go of some of his hurts and fears, and I let go of some of mine. We’re taking a leap of faith. I don’t know the end of the story, but I can tell you that things turned out well for Abby and John, and I’m hopeful that they’ll turn out well for us.

This book was originally written ten years ago, but has recently been rereleased, just in time for me. What books have come to you just in time? What fiction books have changed your life? What messages have touched you?

Heart of Flesh: Inner Healing Part III

2011-01-26T05:23:00.000-08:00

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ~ Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV)

For the past few weeks I’ve been delving into the subject of inner healing. I’ve covered the basics: 1) You were made for joy and 2) Get to the roots.

There can be all sorts of roots. Fear based roots. Inferiority based roots. Anger based roots. Guilt based roots. There are many others as well, I’m sure. But, here is an interesting truth I discovered. As various hurts and issues enter our lives, there are a few basic ways of dealing with them.

* We become a victim, live in constant pain, and are ineffective

* We build walls to protect ourselves and allow ourselves to function

* We learn to properly mourn and turn our hurts over to God

Now, I don’t have much to say about becoming a victim because I don’t really understand that process. It’s too foreign to me. I’m a fighter. But, boy am I good at putting up a wall.

I doubt anyone (except maybe my husband) would describe me as “hard-hearted.” In general, I’m pleasant and even warm by nature. But I’ve done it. I’ve built those walls of protection in my heart. Those very walls, those stony places, allow me to stay upbeat and warm and fun-loving, because I’m safe behind them.

I’ve even justified to myself that they aren’t walls of unforgiveness. I don’t wish harm on anyone. I don’t hold a grudge. I simply don’t trust certain people. Especially authority figures. Especially male authority figures (now don’t blame my sweet laidback dad, this goes back to other controlling men in my life.)

I like my walls. They keep me safe. Even with those people I’m so sweet and warm to, there are parts of myself that I hide. I can give love and encouragement, not be easily offended, etc…but do I let you in? Do I give you the power to wound me? Not often.

Yes, this year I’ve discovered that I have hard, stony places in my heart. So what am I supposed to do about it? Wear my heart on my sleeve? Learn to be a victim? No, I don’t think so. But this question has caused me to take a new look at a scripture from the beatitudes that I’ve never been able to wrap my mind around, “Blessed are they that mourn…” Why on earth would God bless me for mourning? I'm tough. I'm a fighter. I can take care of myself. I have my emotions under control.

When we don’t harden our hearts and protect ourselves, we allow ourselves to mourn the hurts in our lives. And what happens when we mourn? The answer is right there in the same verse, “…for they shall be comforted.” By mourning and turning to God, we allow ourselves to receive comfort and healing. We let others see the hard times we’re going through so that they can pray for us, love on us, and minister to us as well.

This has probably been the most important lesson I’ve learned in 2010. So as we enter 2011, my top New Year’s Resolution is to live with a heart of flesh.

What about you? What has God shown you in 2010? What are your goals for 2011? Do you need to learn to soften your heart?

Get to the Roots - Inner Healing Part II

2011-01-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed any recurring patterns in your life? Here are some examples. Every boss I’ve ever had was out to get me. Every friend betrays me. Every teacher belittles me. Every church rejects me.

Here’s a hint. In the real world, words like “always,” “every,” and “never” almost never apply. These are classic tricks of the enemy of our soul. He loves to lie to us and blow things out of proportion. He loves to get us trapped in self-defeating cycles. For example, the girlfriend who is just waiting for this latest guy to let her down, and therefore keeps creating the circumstances in which he’ll have no choice but to let her down.

Usually, these sort of self-fulling prophecies (note big professional psychology term) originate in lies that Satan told us at some vulnerable time in our lives. Imagine them like tinted glasses that color and distort everything we see. Or better yet, imagine it like a unruly bush growing out of your heart and blocking you from properly seeing the world.

So what do we do? Well, usually we get out the pruning shears. We might seek to cut them down to size with common sense, encouragement from friends, and determination. As Christians, we might trim back these lies with the word of God, with prayer, or with wise counsel. But wouldn’t it be so much better if we could get the root of these lies instead of constantly pruning and trying to maintain some sort of normalcy, never able to let down our guard?

Of course, you might ask, why shouldn’t the word of God be enough? The reason is surprisingly simple. Words are the language of the mind, but pictures are the language of the heart. We wash our mind through the water of the word. So knowing the word and renewing our minds is always an essential step in overcoming any problem. For some people this seems to take care of all of their issues. But for many others, somehow those words fail to reach all the way to the feeling places in their hearts. At some time in their lives, usually during their childhood, they believed a lie from the devil deep in their heart that opposes the word of God in their head. There is a disconnect. So while they try to do right, something just feels terribly wrong.

We shouldn’t live according to our feelings, right? Well, no, not when they oppose God’s word. And yet, wouldn’t it be so much better if we could get down deep into that feeling level and teach our hearts to feel as God would want them to feel? Wouldn’t life become such a joy? Remember my last post? You were made for joy. You were made to live in the ecstasy of God’s presence. You were made to live freely and lightly in the flow of the Holy Spirit.

Now comes the hard part. In order to learn to live freely and lightly in that flow of the Holy spirit—in order to live life with clear vision unclouded by lies—you must dig out the roots of those lies.

How do you do that? Well, this answer is simple on paper but harder in reality. You have to ask God to reveal those lies and replace them with his truth. Because these lies are rooted in pictures and emotions, sometimes that means reentering a hard time in your life and really picturing it in your mind and allowing yourself to feel those emotions again. In that place, you ask God, what lie did the enemy tell me? What truth do you want me to know? And in that place, God can give you a new picture, new feelings, a new perspective. Often at a time of trauma or abuse, we think God isn’t there. We cling to fear or unbelief. We harden our hearts. We cling to unforgiveness. We believe we are worthless or somehow to blame. We make inner vows to ourselves.

While each of these reactions is exquisitely human, at the core, each is rooted in sin. As I mentioned a few weeks ago (click here for part 1 of this series), sin is our human attempt to relieve pain and return ourselves to joy in our own strength. No wonder God is so merciful when we sin. He understands our sin is rooted in pain. He loves us, and yet he longs for us to be free of it. Over time, these deep internal sins can begin to manifest in all sorts of troublesome behaviors, and the self-defeating cycles we long to escape.

It can be hard to get to these roots. It is painful and can even be dangerous if we get in over our heads. While it is most certainly possible to deal with these issues with only God as our counselor, a trained Christian counselor can take you so much farther and offer a sort of safety net to help return you to joy if you discover something truly traumatic.

But here’s the beauty to which I can personally attest, getting to the root creates real change from the inside out. Suddenly those areas of your life that seemed weighty, difficult, downright impossible, can become free and light. As God speaks his truth deep into your heart giving you new pictures and emotions, your brain actually begins to rewire. It’s not unusual after a significant counseling session to feel sluggish and sleepy (and a bit worthless) for several days while your brain “reboots,” not at all unlike when your computer freezes up while it works through something difficult.

Then one day, you’ll look at the world with clear eyes, and suddenly it will all make sense. Like when you get a new pair of contacts or glasses and say, “Oh, so this is what the world is supposed to look like. I’m actually supposed to see leaves on the trees and not just swaying blobs of green.”

Does it hurt to pull out the roots? Yes, the process can be painful, but it is the most worthwhile process you can ever undergo. Get to the roots in your life.

For more info visit Christian inner-healing resources like http://theophostic.com/ , http://www.cwgministries.org/2-How-to-Be-Emotionally-Free.htm , http://www.christianinnerhealing.org/ , and http://www.elijahhouse.org/ , http://lifemodel.org/. If you feel like you would benefit from a trained counselor, study the issues first so that you can make a wise informed choice. I recommend counseling with a strong Christian trained in both prayer ministry and psychology.

Have you had any experience with Christian inner healing, prayer counseling, or bondage breaking ministries? What have you found that brings about true change in your life? Are there any self-defeating cycles that you long to escape?

You Were Made for Joy - Inner Healing Part I

2011-01-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

Hi friends. Some of you may have read this post already on my group Inkwell Inspirations blog, but I think it's an important topic, so I hope you don't mind me sharing it again here.

Let’s start with true confessions. I’ve been in marriage counseling since summer. This is my fifth round of marriage counseling in seventeen years. And don’t worry, I’m not going to whine at you. I only mention it because sometimes people get the impression that everyone else has it all together, and they are the only ones with problems. Trust me, I have problems. My cross-cultural marriage topping the list.

As of this past June, I was just exhausted. Usually I can focus on God and keep my spirits up, but for some reason my marriage felt so heavy and weighty and miserable, I just couldn’t anymore. Worse than that, for about nine months preceding June, this heaviness had been infiltrating other parts of my life as well: effecting my ministry, my friendships, my parenting, and even my health. I just wanted to runaway into my world of words and hide.

When I reached my very lowest, a woman from church approached me and offered me free counseling. If it had been anyone else I probably would have said, “Forget it. It’s too late. I give up.” But this woman, Juliette, is someone I greatly respect. She and her husband run a Christian inner healing ministry called “Breakthrough to Joy.” More than that, she is currently finishing up her Masters degree in counseling, although she’s probably well into her fifties. This says to me that she takes her calling seriously. And since I certainly needed some joy in my life, I agreed to meet with her.

Immediately I saw a difference between this style of counseling and my previous four rounds and began to feel a glimmer of hope. She spent our first few hours together helping me to focus on God and get back to a point of joy. Yes, she uses other inner healing and secular counseling techniques, but that attention to joy was something truly special.

“Joy is a relational experience that is the basis for spiritual experience, human bonding, healthy identity growth and good health generally. Joy is the feeling many experience as ‘falling in love’ with their baby, their grandchild, their first love, a puppy and a face that just lights up to see us. Joy is our normal state as biological beings.” http://lifemodel.org/

We were made for joy. Did you know that? I was made for joy, and you were made for joy. The original design for mankind was to dwell in God’s presence. Think back to the Garden of Eden when Adam walked with God. What is God’s kingdom like? The Bible says righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Jesus himself said: "I have spoken all these things to you for one reason, that my joy may be in you and that your own joy may be abundant."

Here is a quote from a reformed minister named Lewis Smedes: "The first thing I want to tell you is that you and I were made for joy. Joy is our birthright. We were created for it. And when we lost it, Jesus came to bring it back again. From start to finish, Jesus is all about joy."

Here’s one from Pope John Paul II: "God made us for joy. God is joy, and the joy of living reflects the original joy that God felt in creating us."

And a great quote from an online ministry that seems to have some sort of Hebrew bent. The author offers hundreds of scriptures on joy. "It has been said that the essential element of the universe is Joy. Based upon the Biblical record contained herein, and certain glimpses into the Heart of YHWH I've been blessed to receive, I confess there is much evidence to support this notion." http://www.yhwh.com/Thoughts/thought_11.htm

This idea that you were made for joy seems to transcend denominational barriers. Our brains were wired for joy from the creation of mankind. Therefore, we are always seeking joy. Always seeking to return to the essential ecstasy of God’s presence.

Unfortunately, few people actually understand how to do this. So where do we search for our joy instead? In a variety of sinful behaviors, be they external obvious sins or quiet inner sins. Think about it, why do people take drugs, overeat, have illicit sex, gossip, gamble, etc… Usually because it brings them some fleeting sense of pleasure. And these are the easy sins to deal with, because everyone can see them.

Sadly, sin tends to separate us from God, the very source of true joy. Yet, is it the sin itself that pulls us away from God, or our reaction to the sin? Once we are born again, our spirit is clean before God, the price has been paid. I think the primary reason sin separates us from God is the way we react to it. Maybe we hide out of guilt or inferiority. Maybe we feel afraid of God. Maybe we just like our sin and harden our hearts to God’s voice.

Suddenly those external sins don’t seem so problematic. It is the sins in our hearts that truly separate us from God. Another great minister, Paul Yonggi Cho, once said that the four great sins are fear, guilt, anger, and inferiority. These are the deep sins that can truly separate us from God. When faced with sin, rather than run from God, what we need to do is press into his presence and seek his counsel to help us overcome these sins through his strength. We need to replace these four great sins with the faith, hope, love, and identity that can only be found in Christ.

So here comes the hard part of the lesson. In order to breakthrough to the joy we were created for, we need to dig out these deep rooted sins from our hearts, going all the way to the source—lies the enemy planted during vulnerable times in our lives. And this is neither fun nor joyful in the process. In fact, it’s downright painful. Yet for true change, for true breakthrough, it has to happen.

I’ll be back to talk about digging out the roots. In the mean time, mediate on this simple statement:

You were made for joy!

What does joy mean to you? How do you find joy? What is holding you back from joy?

A Study in Sisterhood Novels

2010-12-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I’ve been reading sisterhood books for the last month. The fact that someone important in my life didn’t like the structure of my novel about “three young women from varying backgrounds who search together for meaning and truth” really shook my confidence. In the short run, I prayed about it and felt God confirmed my choices for the book. But, not desiring to be cocky or presumptuous, I also wanted to spend some time studying the genre and making sure I did it right. I read five complete novels and portions of five more.

Here’s the thing. Sisterhood books are not about the classic “hero’s journey.” They are not about a protagonist going out into the world and overcoming an escalating set of obstacles to reach a specific goal. Sisterhood books are about relationships, pure and simple. They are a microcosm of society. Characters come together and react against one another. They learn and grow and change through the group dynamics. Usually, the book explores a theme as each of the “sisters” faces related challenges and struggles.

More importantly, there is not one clearly defined “protagonist.” There are multiple protagonists. If the group is small enough, it is not unusual for them to be equally weighted. The groups itself becomes a character, a protagonist in the book. Both the group and each of the main character have a full story arc. Generally, one character becomes the “primary protagonist.”

What do these primary protagonists have in common? Well, they are often the most relatable character. In Christian novels, they are always a Christian. They are not chosen because their story is the most compelling, but rather for their ability to guide the reader through these relational experiences. Often, they have no great goal. Sometimes they are rather difficult characters early on. In fact, in most of the books, their journeys have been more about the character letting God accomplish something in their lives than it has been about them overcoming obstacles and achieving goals. Inner healing has been a theme in several of these scenarios. How can you tell the primary protagonist? Simple. The book starts and ends in their point of view. They might get a slightly larger percentage of the book, but sometimes not.

The only exception to this that I found was The Yada Yada Prayer Group. This book is written from a single first person point of view, and I do have to say, that made it my least favorite of the bunch. When I realized that book 2 continued with the same protagonist, I had no desire to keep reading. I do understand why this worked and the series became so popular, though. The protagonist is a middle aged, white, religious Christian woman—which pretty much aligns with the typical CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) reader.

My personal favorite of the bunch was Faithful, a new novel by Kim Cash Tate. I related to all of the characters and their conflicts, and the theme truly spoke to me. Similar to the Yada Yada’s and the young women in my own book, her characters came from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, which always makes for a fun read. I would give The Potluck Club special recognition for being the funniest and having the zaniest characters. And I give Robin Jones Gunn extra points for writing her Sisterchicks series that provided her a travel budget to some of the coolest locations in the world. But, the series that best related to my own was the Bloomberg series by Melody Carlson with its twenty something characters. I plan to read the whole series soon.

So that’s my assessment of Christian sisterhood novels. And my conclusion about my own? Well, I’m still learning and growing as a writer, and I can’t promise that I’ve gotten everything precisely right. However, this study has shown me that the book is structurally sound and that I’ve made quality decisions about my characters and their journeys. All I can do now is keep praying and hope for the best.

A Million Miles...

2010-12-07T05:34:00.000-08:00

Donald Miller’s famous Blue Like Jazz hit the New York Times Best Seller List in 2006. However, I enjoyed A Million Miles in a Thousand Years even more. It opens with an interesting premise, as two hotshot Hollywood moviemakers decide to make a film about Miller’s life and begin “editing” his real experiences into a better “story” that will create the proper tension and excitement to appeal to their audience.

Of course, this forces Miller to wonder if he shouldn’t be living a better story on his own. Using the techniques of narrative structure, Miller takes a hard look at his life, past, present, and future, and decides it is time to begin living a story that will matter and make a difference. Through the pages of the book, he contacts his father for the first time, he bikes across country, he starts a nonprofit organization, and he finally goes after the girl.

In chapters such as “The Elements of a Meaningful Life,” “Imperfect is Perfect,” “A Character Is What He Does,” and “An Inciting Incident” Miller allows us to join in his quest towards creating a better existence. His experiences challenge the reader to not only face, but to invite obstacles and struggles into their lives as a source of transformation. He encourages them to take the time to create memorable scenes and to see the beauty in tragedy. The parallels in this book hit home and encouraged the reader to want to live a better story as well, while keeping in mind that in real life, our stories don’t resolve here on earth.

As usual, this book of Miller’s draws from his actual experiences and reflections, tying them together with truths that are both spiritual and yet incredibly practical. His style is engaging and personal. He provides many poetic moments along with plenty of humor. I highly recommend this book.

Literary Trends

2010-11-21T15:14:00.000-08:00

Today, I’d like to take a look at the present state of literature. Many of us finished school 20, 40, perhaps even 60 years ago. Chances are you have no idea what precisely the current literary trends are. This creates a problem for writers who decide to pen their first novel decades after completing their educations. But whether you are a writer or a reader, it’s always good to keep learning and growing and to be aware of the world around you.

Let’s look at a few hallmarks of contemporary literature.

Experimental – The current postmodern worldview rejects the concept of absolute truth. Therefore, people of this generation are always searching to create meaning. They reject the authorities of the past and look for new structures and models for viewing the world. This can be seen in literature in a number of areas such as nonlinear plots, stream of consciousness writing, deconstructionist criticism, experimentation with grammar, loss of dialogue tags, plots that do not resolve, ect… While Christians maintain that the word of God is absolute truth, that does not mean that we necessarily accept the Webster’s Dictionary, the Oxford standards of grammar and punctuation, or a specific five point plot structure as absolute truth.

An example of experimental literary fiction can be seen in one of this year’s Christy Award winners, The Passion of Mary-Margaret. This book is written as if you are reading Mary Margaret’s personal journal. It is a sort of fictional memoir. She jumps back and forth in time between the present and random moments in her past. She has rambling reflective segments of “telling” that normally are not allowed in fiction. However, the whole book works together to create a very moving and meaningful work of art.

Mixed Genres – As a natural result of this experimentation, mixed genre writing has increased in popularity. For example, National Public Radio employs “literary journalism,” which removes the cold objectivity of standard journalism and allows us to enter an experience with the journalist using fictional techniques and poetic language. In the Christian arena, several books which have hit the New York Times best-seller list have been mixed genre books. Blue Like Jazz is a poetic memoir full of personal stories, which includes a series of comics. The Shack is a sort of fictional memoir which combines suspense and allegory.

I wrote my first narrative nonfiction book last year. It is basically a series of thematic lyric essays. The idea of the lyric essay is that it explores a theme in a somewhat poetic, disjointed, scene by scene fashion, braiding or weaving all of the ideas together, and tying them up tight at the end. So I was able to include poetry, personal stories, short stories, essays, devotionals, and scriptures, weaving them all together into a unified collection.

Distrust of Authoritative Voice – Since the postmodern reader rejects traditional authority and absolute truth, they tend to distrust an authoritative voice as well. In nonfiction, because we no longer believe that true objectivity is possible, this leads to books full of anecdotes and personal example stories to illustrate the logical points. In historical books and biographies, this leads to the author treating themselves as a character as they search for meaning in the various accounts of history. In fiction, the omniscient narrator has fallen out of favor. The most popular point of view is now multiple third person. This allows us to see the world up close and personal from a number of perspectives and lets us to draw our own meaning from the experiences of the characters.

In my newest novel, I feature three main characters from very different backgrounds: a Christian, a Muslim, and a New Age postmodern thinker. By using multiple points of view, the reader can see how each character reacts to the world and to each other. The reader gets an in-depth look at each mindset without being told what to believe. Since this is a Christian book, I did place my Christian character as the primary protagonist, and one of the other characters will undergo a significant change. However, my Christian will also learn and grow from the views of the other two women.

Multi-sensory – Now we get to the aspects of contemporary literature affected by both postmodern philosophy and our film and television oriented culture. We need a lot of sensory stimulation in our books to compete with visual media. So more than ever our words have to draw our reader into the story, bringing them all the way into the heads and bodies of our point of view characters so that they can see, hear, taste, touch, and smell what our characters are experiencing. However, you can still see the effect of postmodernism, because we want to have a relationship with a character and draw meaning from their experiences rather than just have those experiences reported to us.

Even in schools, children are being taught in a multi-media fashion. My children now have something called “Promethean Boards,” which are basically giant touch screen computers, in each of their classes. This takes the place of the chalkboard, overhead projector, and movie projector all at once. This shift in our culture is going to continue to change our thinking and learning styles. Sheer left-brained logic is no longer the rule of the day, which is why intuition, experience, relationship, and image have become so important to our younger generation.

Use of Scenes – The last area I would like to cover is the use of scenes. Of course this relates to television and film and our attention deficit culture. We’ve become used to scenes set in one time and place. A quick switch of the camera, and we accept that we’re in a new time and place, which is the next significant time and place in the storyline. We don’t need an explanation about how we got there or what happened in the interim. We don’t question if the writers and directors have left out some significant information that we need to know. But again, this also relates to the postmodern mindset because we want to draw our own conclusions and don’t want everything explained to us from an authoritative point of view.

The way this plays out in both fiction and nonfiction is that we can now give a brief scene or a segment, leave a space or insert a “***,” and the reader accepts that we are in a new place or on to the next subject or story without much explanation. Readers no longer desire superfluous transition. Just get to the point. Stick with what matters and move the story along. In nonfiction, this often minimizes the authoritative commentary. Instead, the author lets the reader take in the information and waits until the end of the chapter to wrap things up. At that point the author can offer their own conclusions, but in a personal way that says, “These are the conclusions that I have drawn,” leaving space for the reader to draw their own.

In trying to be brief for this blog post, I probably broke a lot of the rules of postmodern literature by explaining the subject in an authoritative voice ;) So what are your experiences with contemporary reading and writing? What trends have you seen? How do you notice our culture affecting today’s literature and media?

The Master's Wall - Amazing Book, Amazing Author

2010-11-10T06:03:00.000-08:00

Today I want to introduce you to a novel by an incredible author with an important tale of her own.

First let me say, this book was just amazing! I was a bit surprised to discover the main characters were children, but quickly got the point. This story is about the children of Christian martyrs in Rome and how their lives play out. David, son of Jewish parents, is taken into slavery, yet continues to spread the good news wherever he goes. Alethea is the granddaughter of a rich Roman, the murderer of her father and David's owner. As David makes sacrifice after sacrifice for Alethea, I see the prayers of her deceased father being answered upon the pages of this book through him. It truly touched me. When David grows into an exceptional warrior and Alethea is promised in marriage to a man she doesn't love, the stage is set for adventure and romance. The ending is full of wonderful twists. But through it all the aspect that shines brightest is the stunning portrait of the love of Christ.

I want to make clear that I truly loved this book before moving on. In fact, as an author who reads and critiques three and four books a month, I've become rather impervious to the power of a good story. But by the end, I couldn't put this one down.

Now about Sandi. On the same day this book released, Sandi, a young mother of four, was diagnosed with an agressive form of brain cancer. She had already been battling MS for many years. I imagine a part of her must have been so exhausted and just ready to give up.

I believe God wants only the best for his children, and yet knowing the future, I'm sure he saw this coming. How like our marvelous, loving father to coincide these two important events in Sandi's life to give her encouragement and support during this time. It makes me believe that he must have exceptional plans for her book and for her life.

Because of this coincidence in timing, Sandi is receiving more prayer support than she ever would have otherwise. At the same time, her book is getting the full attention that it well deserves. In addition, her publisher is donating an extra $1 per book to her family over her normal royalties to support them during this difficult time. You can purchase it here.

The best way to support Sandi is to pray for her and to purchase her book. Multiple copies for gifts if you can. Not only will it support her family, but it will boost her spirits tremendously. Nothing blesses an author as much as knowing others have read their work and been touched by the message God has laid on their hearts.

My prayer for Sandi is this: that this situation turn into an amazing testimony of God's healing power and his love for his children. I long to see her ministry as a writer go on for many, many years to come.

Why Do These Hit Me So Deeply?

2010-11-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

Last week I had mentally scheduled to do a review of Golden Keyes Parson's third book in her Darkness to Light Series with Thomas Nelson, titled Where Hearts Are Free. I'm not sure quite what it is about Golden's books that always hit me straight in the gut, in a good way. But this one hit me so hard, I needed time to process it before I was even ready to write this post.

I mean, Golden's an adept writer. Her plots are strong, this latest probably the strongest. Her characters are unique and interesting. Her settings pop to life. I loved the French court in books I and II and yet found myself completely charmed by the rolling Pennsylvania countryside and quaint colonial town in book III. While I normally prefer what I would term "literary fiction" to basic romantic historicals, these books have managed to touch me on a very deep, emotional and spiritual level in a way that few others have.

Of course that leaves me wondering, "Why?"

I think what it really comes down to is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Golden's writing always was and always will be a ministry. She pulls no punches about that. In addition to being a writer, she is also a pastor. Early in her writing career, she focused on nonfiction until she discovered that fiction is even a stronger way to share Biblical truths. And she couldn't be more right about that. I can't imagine that a sermon or a nonfiction book could ever touch me so deeply.

The journey of the main character, Bridget Barrington, sincerely resonated with me. While I'm not the daughter of a rich colonial landowner arranged to marry a scoundrel, I truly related with her struggle to do what was right. She wanted to please her parents and do what was correct in the eyes of society, yet everything in her heart screamed against it. So often I struggle with religious rules and expectations that don't seem to match what God has planted in my heart. So often I struggle to understand the difference between relying on my own strength to do what is right and learning to rest in God's strength. And much like Bridgett would withdraw into her magical hideaway in the woods or into her own imagination, I often find myself seeking to escape rather than facing and dealing with the hard realities in my life.

Just like Bridget, I long to reach that place where my heart is totally free, not only when I'm dancing or in my secret place with God, but all day every day. This book has become a part of my journey, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Postmodernism: the Good, the Bad, and the Hopeful

2010-10-18T05:37:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I was looking over my tenth grade daughter’s syllabus for her high school modern dance class. I noticed one of the subjects they would be covering was postmodern culture. If someone in your life was studying postmodernism, would you know what that meant? Would you know what inherent dangers exist in postmodernism, or what the benefits of such thinking might be? I confess, until about ten years ago, I had no idea that postmodernism was the prevalent culture in our Western world today. I assumed it was a reaction to the modernist period in some way, but I didn’t understand its scope or importance.

Let’s start with a bit of Western history going back to the Holy Roman Empire. From a few hundred years after Christ until at least the Renaissance can be called the “Pre-modern Era.” During that period the general world view was “theistic”, meaning God-centered. Scripture and the church were final authorities. While this mindset might sound wonderful to Christians, it created its own sort of problems. Scientific discovery was seen as heretical because it challenged church tradition. The church had too much political power and became corrupt. It often took away the freedom of choice that God gave mankind from creation. In fact, many incredible Christian believers were martyred during this time by the church.

Enter the “Modern Era.” Some trace the roots of this era back as far as the Renaissance, however it strengthened during the “Enlightenment Period” of the late 1700s and hit its peak in the late 1800s which is known as the “Modernist Period” in literature and art. The secular worldview of this era is based on science and reason, and it trusts only what can be evaluated by the five senses. Life was governed by logical principles and ethics. God was seen as distant or absent, and man became the final authority. Authority structures were clear. It’s obvious that the inherent atheism and secular humanism were diametrically opposed to a Christian worldview. But, what is not clear is how elements of this mindset seeped into Christianity as well. If you look at traditional churches even today, you might find the same modernist attention to hierarchical structures, emphasis on law, and rejection of the supernatural to a degree that is not Biblical.

So where does that leave us? Most academics would say smack in the middle of the “Postmodern Era,” which began around the early 1970s originating from the hippie movement. Rather than theistic or secular, the worldview of this era is "pluralistic", or in other words, an acceptance of all worldviews. Life is governed by personal choice rather than theology or ethics. While atheism has declined, the concept of one God has been replaced by a variety of spiritualities. The postmodern thinker rejects the concept of absolute truth. They believe we each create our own personal truths based on experience. They see the world as chaotic and random and seek to find their own meaning within it. The positive side of postmodernism is that these people are hungry for spirituality and the supernatural, searching for meaning, and open to new experience.

Clearly there are many elements of postmodernism that clash with our Christian beliefs, but as I hope I have established, the same can be said of the Pre-modern and Modern eras. On the other hand, the positive aspects of postmodernism open avenues for evangelism and outreach. The church needs to understand postmodernism and reevaluate the cultural elements of Christianity in order to reach a new generation that has grown up with this mindset. I was born in 1970, which leaves me right on the outside edge of this generation, but since my parents are young, and I grew up in a Jesus movement hippie church where the pastor often wore jeans and sandals to preach, I identify with this generation and feel called to minister to them with the absolute truth that can only be found within the word of God.

But in order to do that, we need to understand how these people think. We need to learn to speak their language. We need to know what they are looking for. Because, and here’s what I want you to take away from this post:

Authentic Biblical Christianity can meet the needs of our postmodern generation, but outdated religious Christianity cannot!

We need to rediscover Biblical truths in light of the areas that hold sway with this generation: image, experience, relationship, and intuition. We need to reach them with Christianity that focuses on relationship and experience with God. Christianity that is authentic and real. We must go through the heart, not merely the logical mind. We must let them find God for themselves, not point to authorities they don’t yet believe in. We must become open to the supernatural movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives and our churches. We must meet their cultural needs with music, art, drama, and dance that speak to their hearts. We must accept that they might dress, look, and act differently than Christians from the mid 1900s. We can even incorporate the technology and visual images they have grown up with into our church services.

None of these things go against the absolute truth found in God’s word. In fact, I would be happy to supply scriptural proof that all of these are encouraged in God’s word. Only tradition and religiosity stand in their way. There’s nothing “wrong” with doing things the old way, but there’s nothing “wrong” with embracing a new way either. We must understand the difference between culture and Christianity. While we never sacrifice the absolute truth of the scripture, we should be willing like Paul to become “all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” I Corinthians 9:22

And here’s the exciting part for those of us who love literature. We must reach the postmodern generation through story! Through story, the postmodern thinker can find relationship with a character and share experiences with them. They can use their intuition and imagination to discover God. They can begin to see how their “personal narratives” fit into the grand “meta-narrative” of God’s story upon the earth.

Yes, there’s much about postmodernism that can seem bad, ugly, even downright scary to the Christian believer. But I choose to look with hope at the beauty in this mindset. A generation that is open to God and hungry for supernatural experiences. And I can’t wait to reach this generation through the stories, dances, and dramas that God lays on my heart.

What sort of church culture do you enjoy personally? What are you or your church doing to reach out to this postmodern generation? Do you totally disagree with everything I've just written? It's okay, you can tell me the truth, I'm all about being authentic :)

Inside, Outside, Upside Down Christianity

2010-10-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

In college I remember writing a poem that began with those words from the famous children's book. “Inside, outside, the whole world is upside down.” At the time I was attending a Christian university in the middle of the Bible belt South, and more often than not, what I saw was Christianity focused on outward issues.

In a way it made sense, I guess. The Christian university would have had a hard time dictating that we all put others first, have loving, intimate relationships with Christ, hear his voice and walk according to the moment by moment leading of the Holy Spirit.

It was much easier to say you had to wear skirts everyday that came to the tops of your knees (that would be for the girls of course, and I must confess, I’m cool with guys not being allowed to wear skirts.) For the guys it was daily ties, short hair, and no earrings or beards. There were rules about swearing and alcohol and mandatory church attendance. We had a student honor code and dress code and dorm rules (did I mention if you were under 22 and unmarried you had to live in the dorms). The rules went on and on and they were all focused on who we were on the outside and the sort of impression we gave the community and the all important donors.

Now there’s not anything wrong with any of those rules in and of themselves, although few had anything to do with actual Biblical principles. I’m sure they were all designed to make us disciplined individuals and productive people, but rules were not going to lead us one iota closer to Christ. In fact, in a lot of cases, the severity of the rules caused people to rebel.

You may have a hard time believing this from your friendly neighborhood free-spirited, nose-pierced, heavy-metal-loving novelist, but I was raised to have great respect for rules and authority, and I do (God wired me as an INFJ, but that's a post for another day.) There were basically three responses to these excessive rules in college: students who didn’t mind them and followed them, students who ignored them and didn’t care, and students who were in constant angst, feeling that the rules were ridiculous and unfair, but who wanted to honor God by following the rules. In other words students who wanted to live from the inside out. In other words, me.

Okay, I feel like I’m caught in the college years, kind of like when I have nightmares about wandering through campus without my schedule or being forced to live in the dorms with three kids. Let’s fast forward to today. Today, I’m raising my own teenagers. And I’m not raising them in dormitories or with upside-down Christianity that focuses on outward standards. I’m raising them to live as I long to live, from the inside out.

Outside-in Christianity is a result of focusing on law. In the Old Testament God gave us law because Christ had not yet died on the cross for us. The Ten Commandments are great and all, but did you ever stop to consider that there weren’t just ten, there were hundreds? If you want to live by the law, shouldn’t you follow them all? The law brings death. Jesus brings life. We are now living under a new covenant. A covenant with principles, not law. A covenant where God calls us to a higher standard and demands our very hearts.

* Note: I wanted to insert a scripture here, but I pretty much needed to quote at least one gospel and most of Paul’s epistles. So, you know what, just re-read the whole New Testament. It certainly won’t hurt you.

Did you ever stop to consider that for several thousand years of mankind’s history there was no law? God judged by the heart for at least 2,500 years (let’s not get into a debate over the creation date here, cause I really don’t care). Only for the last 1500 or so years before Jesus did we have the law. The law was revealed so that man would understand how far we lived from God’s standard of holiness, and that we could never, ever, meet God’s expectations on our own. We needed a savior.

And he sent one, who died on the cross to redeem us from our sin and reconcile us to himself. He now wants us to live by basic principles. The law of love. The fruit of the spirit. We need to know his word, yes. Absolutely. Not because we need to reach our daily quota of Bible reading, but because God renews our mind through his word. Because God reveals his character in his word, and we need to know him as a best friend. We need to pray, yes. Because how can you be intimate with someone you don't communicate with? We need to be in church, yes. Because we need the fellowship of other believers to help us grow in our walk with the lord. Because we are one body in Christ, and we need to function together to reach out to a hurt and dying world. We need to live a holy life, yes. Because it pleases God and keeps Satan from getting entrance into our lives.

But living a holy life goes much further than keeping the Ten Commandments. (Read those epistles one more time please. Seriously, it will be good for you.) It involves dying to self, putting others first, extending love to the world around us. No more gossip or gluttony or lust. No more worry or condemnation, bitterness, despair, or low self-esteem. We are God’s children. His heirs. A royal priesthood. His ambassadors to the world.

But we’ll never get there on our own.

We’re going to fall short. God is well aware of that. That was his whole point in sending a savior. It’s almost as if the outside-in people act like Christ saved them once, and it’s been their job to save themselves everyday since.

This simply is not what the Bible says. Anywhere. God wants our hearts. A much higher standard than the law. He is not out to zap us. He has paid the price to secure our eternal destiny. He wants relationship with us that flows from the inside out.

Just think about it, Christianity that flows from the outside in (if such a thing can even truly exist) would get stuck there. On the inside. No wonder these upside-down outside-in Christians have such little impact on the world. Christianity from the inside out flows, well, outward. Like a river of living water to quench the needs of a hurt and dying generation. Christianity from the inside out releases God’s kingdom from deep within our hearts to everyone we encounter.

So no more upside down Christianity. Let’s all live from the inside out!

Sheer Delight - The Healer's Apprentice

2010-09-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't done a book review in a while. In fact, I haven't been completely swept away since The Passion of Mary-Margaret earlier this year. I did read one amazing secular novel in the interim called A Thousand Splendid Suns about the troubled lives of two Afghani women. It's not for the faint of heart, but it will definitely change the way you view the world, and as many of you know, I love that sort of book. I also truly enjoyed What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy, which deals with racism, sexual abuse, and the secret's women keep. Not easy books to read by any means, but well worth the effort.

But today I would like to recommend a new novel from Zondervan that is sheer delight: The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson. Melanie is a friend of mine and fellow medieval author. This book was a real treat, from the medieval German setting, to the fairy tale elements, to the heart stopping romance. I adored everything about it.

When this book arrived in the mail, my fifteen-year-old daughter hi-jacked it and insisted she read it first. She loved it and finished it in under twenty-four hours (oh, to be young again.) The cover is exquisite and the story line compelling. When the former peasant girl falls in love with the betrothed future duke, things kick off to a strong start. The Healer's Apprentice was released as a teen fiction novel, but I think any romance lover will adore this book. I was surprised and pleased that while geared to a younger audience, it did not shy away from tough issues like abuse, attempted seduction, and the corruption of the clergy at that time. While these topics are dealt with delicately, it is good for young women to learn to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves as the Bible instructs.

This book is well executed all around. Great characters, strong plot, good pacing. The story took some fun twists and turns that will be sure to charm you, and the history was accurate and engaging. Most importantly, though, it contained very strong spiritual elements. The hero and heroine must face the forces of darkness and battle them not with their own strength, but through the power of the name of Jesus. They also learn lessons about trusting God, listening to his voice, and their worth in him. Melanie Dickerson portrayed the right and godly sort of love in this book that will stand the test of time.

So if you are looking for a book that will both entertain you and simultaneously enrich your life, I highly recommend The Healer's Apprentice. Great job Melanie. I look forward to more.

Cool Testimonies from my Conference

2010-09-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

If you didn’t read my last post, you might want to check it out below. It’s about a word of encouragement God gave me before I went to my writer’s conference this week. I had an amazing time meeting many of my online buddies in person, making new friends, learning, and being refreshed. And I came home with two very cool testimonies.

The first one is about me. On the third day of the conference, I had planned to sit with one important editor at lunch, and then dash off to a meeting with a second important editor, scheduled for precisely when lunch was supposed to end. Instead, I stayed after class to talk with someone (that’s the sort of thing the awesomely amazing conference directors at ACFW tell you to expect in the opening session) and arrived late to lunch. Since I grabbed a random open chair, I finished eating early and decided to go to my room to refocus and pray. When I got there I caught myself humming a worship tune from the conference (okay, I was humming and singing all weekend in the hallways and stairwells, I hope everyone enjoyed the free show.) So anyway, when I got to my room, I started singing the words. Then I stood up, and spontaneously started dancing the song as a prayer. By the time I went downstairs for my meeting, I was not only calm and focused, I was floating on the clouds and brimming with excitement.

I guess I don’t have to tell you, that turned out to be my best meeting of the whole conference.

The second one is about a guy whose last name I don’t even remember. I met Adam on the night before the conference started. Someone in the little group in the lobby asked him what his book was about. Now, we’re all taught to perfect the 30 second version of the book we’re working on. However, Adam, who is an experienced and agented author, for some reason gave the 15 minute version. Of course we found occasion to tease him for this later when another person joined our group and asked what his book was about. This time, he kept it shorter, but the truth was, his idea was fascinating: full of cool quantum physics, Biblical prophecies, supernatural elements. All the crazy stuff I love. So second time around, I was actually filling in some of the details I liked. Although, I told him it needed to be pitched as a YA book. His characters were young anyway.

The next evening, I went to a Thomas Nelson panel. Someone asked the acquisitions editor, Allen Arnold, what he would really like to see. He said, “You know, I’d really like to see a YA book with supernatural elements, lots of action, and some cool Biblical tie-in.” When I saw Adam in the hallway, I ran up to him and said, “Allen Arnold is looking for your book.” Well Adam is a younger guy, and he’s actually team writing the book with his dad. His dad was with him and seemed dismayed because Adam had wanted to go to the Thomas Nelson panel and the dad had talked him into trying a different one. I just smiled and gave the dad’s arm a squeeze and said, “That’s okay, God sent me instead. It’s all good.”

So, Adam, whose last name I can’t remember, I really hope to see your book on the shelves next year, preferably just down the row from mine :)

Encouraging Words

2010-09-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

This week actually started out with a bit of discouraging career news for me. As I'm about set out for the big ACFW Conference in Indianapolis tomorrow to pitch my book to editors, that was not the sort of news I wanted to hear. But as usual, the setback drove me to my knees. I spent all yesterday morning in prayer for direction.

God was faithful, and he truly clarified his plans for my current novel, my trip, and my career. In fact, by the end of the day, I had some really great news. More exciting, though, was the scripture he gave me. I know people always say that God gives them scriptures. But this time was a little different, for me at least. As I sat praying, the reference "Isaiah 54" literally flashed in my eyes like on a projector screen. I couldn't imagine what Isaiah 54 could possibly have to do with my writing, but I looked it up anyway.

Before I go ahead and quote this scripture, allow me to explain one sidenote. A few weeks ago I published a post about getting your books out into the world. It's a long, slow process, almost as time consuming and difficult as writing the book itself. You see, writers think of their books as their babies. Trust me, I feel like I've been in a very long labor trying to birth my novels out into the world. They're in the oven, all grown and incubated, I've just been waiting for them to come out. With that in mind, here is what the scripture said.

Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby.
Fill the air with song, you who've never experienced childbirth!
You're ending up with far more children
than all those childbearing women." God says so!
"Clear lots of ground for your tents!
Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big!
Use plenty of rope,
drive the tent pegs deep.
You're going to need lots of elbow room
for your growing family.
You're going to take over whole nations;
you're going to resettle abandoned cities.
Don't be afraid—you're not going to be embarrassed.
Don't hold back—you're not going to come up short.

Pretty cool, huh? So I declare this word over my books and my ministry today. Please keep me in your prayers this week as I pitch them at conference.

Personality Types - Writing Class Series Bonus Lesson

2010-09-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

I’ve enjoyed this writing class series so much, that I think I’ll do a few bonus lessons based on extra discussions we had during the live class.

One of my favorite things we ended up talking about in detail was a personality indicator used by psychologists called the Meyers Briggs assessment. I love this test for a number of reasons. In general, personality tests help us better understand ourselves and our unusual little quirks. They also help us to understand that each of our brains are wired in an individual way through genetics and upbringing. They assist us in understanding others who have vastly different personalities than our own. As writers, these tests help us to write consistent characters with distinct personalities and clear motivations.

I prefer the Myers Briggs test because it breaks down to sixteen different personality types and is more targeted and specific than any other test I have found. Another reason I prefer it, is because it is well known and you can find a number of excellent websites and books that talk in detail about these personality types. You can easily look up what a person with an ENTJ personality would choose as a job, or how they deal with relationships. This is particularly helpful to writers creating characters.

My new contemporary novel is a sisterhood type of book with three main female characters. These three women needed to have enough in common to be drawn to one another, yet still have distinct personalities. So I chose a Myers Briggs type for each of them and used that to help with their characterizations.When I wanted to know what would be a good career for one of my girls, I could easily look it up online. When I wanted to know what type of man would be a good match for them or how they would respond to stress, I could look it up. Pretty cool, huh.

The Myers Briggs assesses four aspects of human characteristics. Keep in mind that everyone has all of these traits, and it's good to be balanced, but that we all lean more heavily towards one or the other.

Introvert vs. Extrovert – This has to do with how you are energized. It is not about how shy or social you are. An extrovert is energized by the outward world of people and things. An introvert is energized by their inner world. An extrovert is always up for a party and comes home excited and full of energy. An introvert may enjoy the party, may even be the life of the party while there, but will be exhausted by the end and need to go home and regroup. Extroverts need to process things with others. Introverts need to process things alone. Extroverts quickly grow lonely and have a stronger need for others. Introverts are content with their own company.

Sensory vs. INtuitive – This has to do with what you pay attention to. Sensors focus on the five senses and on facts. Intuits focus on what might be called a sixth sense. Sensors are very aware of their surroundings whereas intuits might drift off into their own head. Sensors tend to seem more grounded in realism than intuits. Sensors deal with basic information and intuits tend to take in information, but interpret and add their own meaning to it.

Thinkers vs. Feelers – This has to do with how you make decisions. A thinker takes into consideration logic and reason only. A feeler takes into consideration people and their emotions. Feelers incorporate values and subjective judgments into their decisions. If you change how a thinker thinks about a subject, their feelings will naturally follow. If you change how a feeler feels about a subject, their thoughts will naturally follow. I have found you can best tell your preference in this category by asking yourself, “If logic and feeling are in opposition to each other, which would I regret not following?”

Judgmental vs. Perceptual – This has to do with how you live and work. A judger prefers to be planned and organized. A perceiver prefers to be spontaneous and flexible. Judges are strict on themselves about keeping commitments and following rules. Perceivers view commitments as something they will probably do and view rules as suggested guidelines. Judgers tend to be on time and be early for deadlines. Perceivers tend to be late and procrastinate. Judgers like to know where they are going and how to get there. Perceivers like to go with the flow and respond to where life might take them.

By choosing the four letters, you find the personality of your character. For example, I am an INFJ (which is both the rarest personality type in normal people and the most common personality type in novelists by the way). You can go online and find career advice, relationship advice, strengths and weaknesses, etc…for this personality type by looking up these four letters. Different books and websites have varying views, so I recommend you look at several. This website as a good place to start. It is full of exhaustive information. Be sure to scroll over the little icons for the links and also to look at the bottom of each page for sublinks. http://www.personalitypage.com/html/info.html

If you would like to take the Myers Briggs test for free, here is a good version http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

We also discussed how these personality types affect you as a writer. Let's start with a very natural writer type, mine, the INFJ.

If you are an "E" for extrovert rather than an "I" for introvert, you may find that you write better as part of a team. You may need to go somewhere around people like a cafe or bookstore in order to write. And you will certainly need to join writers groups and be a part of a community. You would probably enjoy writing that involves meeting and interviewing people. Most writers are introverts, since it is primarily a solitarty activity. But introverts, be careful not to become a recluse. Writers need the emotional support of other writers.

If you are an "S" for sensor rather than an "N" for intuit and you want to be a writer then I'm not sure what to tell you. It's not that an "S" can't write, it's just that they usually don't view writing as a practical enough pursuit. If you desire to write, then you must be fairly balanced between the "S" and the "N." I would also guess that you are an introvert, because something must be drawing you to the inner world of writing. You will probably view writing as a craft. I'm guessing that reporting or fictional mysteries would appeal to you because of the sensory aspects. You may find that you enjoy writing teaching manuals or how-to type material because of its practical application. And you might make an excellent editor because of your attention to detail. Intuits will likely have good instincts for writing and also good instincts. They will enjoy the imaginary aspect of writing.

The "T" for thinker can also be a good writer, but they will probably focus more on facts and research than the "F" who might like to be more creative. The "T" might enjoy writing nonfiction or fiction that requires extensive research, and they will probably rely more heavily on formulas and structure in their writing because those aspects focus more on logic. If you are a feeler, don't get so creative that you forget to keep your facts straight.

Finally, if you are a "P" for pereciver rather than a "J" for judger, then you can still be an excellent writer, you just might not ever finish a book. If you do, you will need a publisher who is lenient on deadlines. You will probably be a "seat of the pants" writer, rather than a plotter. But, remember that it's important to examine your "organic" plot structure and make sure it's strong after you've finished your book. By the way, if you are a judger, be careful not to become too focused on the rules or too locked into your plot. This is probably an area that the judgers can learn a lesson from the perceivers. Just don't slack off on meeting those deadlines :)

Getting It Out Into the World - Writing Class Series Week 8

2010-08-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

During week 1 of “The Inspiration and the Perspiration,” we attempted to define Christian writing. Here’s what we came up with:

Christian writing is any writing inspired by the Holy Spirit with the goal of advancing God's kingdom on earth.

This definition implies that ultimately, we want our writing to find an audience so that it can touch lives and change people, at least in some small way. That means, for our writing to achieve its purpose, we have to get it out into the world. We don’t want to hide our light under a bushel. We don’t want our writing to sit in a drawer or computer file where no one can read it. There can be a therapeutic type of personal writing, however, if you’ve invested the sort of time I've suggested in this series, that is probably not your goal.

For smaller pieces like short stories, articles, devotionals, and poems, blogging can be a fun and easy way to find an audience. You can also begin to look for magazines and journals. The Writer's Market, available at bookstores, libraries, and amazon, is the best resource for finding places to submit your writing. They have new versions each year and multiple editions specializing in various genres. There is also The Christian Writers' Market Guide. If you regularly follow a certain periodical, consider writing something specifically to fit their needs.

Now on to full books. Here’s the bad news, on a very practical, business type level, in order for your book to sell well, you will need to begin to view your precious baby--the result of years of blood, sweat, and tears--as a product. Yes, you heard me, a product not at all unlike a Big Mac. It will need to be packaged, distributed, and marketed. What we have previously called your “audience” will now become your “target market.” While on some levels marvelous writing speaks for itself, there is a business side of writing as well. You need to get at least some people reading your book and spreading the word if you want it to reach farther than friends and family members.

On the other hand, be realistic and understand that only a handful of Christian writers actually make a living at writing. Writing can be a profession, but at least in the beginning, it will probably need to be more of a hobby or a ministry. Still, we want to reach the largest audience possible. There are three main routes you can take for getting your book out into the world. So let’s discuss the pros and cons of each.

The traditional route, which is preferred by most authors, is to find a major publishing house to contract your book. If you can find a major publisher, they will do an excellent job editing your novel and making it the best it can be. The con is that you lose some control over the content of the book. They will provide a professional cover design. However, you will have little or no say concerning the cover. Your book will be distributed in bookstores, on Amazon, possibly even retail stores like Wal-Mart, so they will reach a large potential audience. On the other hand, a good run for a Christian novel is about 10,000 books, and you will receive only 5-10% of the profits. Probably less than a dollar per book. Another pro for traditional publishers is that you will receive a lump advance. In other words, you might make $5,000, even up to hundreds of thousands for secular best-selling authors, in advance. The down side of the advance is that if the publisher does not make their money back, you might have a hard time contracting another book--with anyone.

Traditional publishing is still the preferred route, because it provides a large potential audience. It also provides marketing and promotion. However, the traditional publishers have less influence in this area than they used to because their primary sales are switching from small booksellers to mega bookstores and online booksellers. These days, royalties are smaller than ever, and at the same time, authors are expected to do more and more of their own marketing and promotion. Not a great deal. At the end of the day, I think most authors still dream of the big publishing houses because they offer instant validation and respectability. If you’ve been published by one of the big Christian companies: Baker, Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, Multnomah, etc… people know that you have made it, and you are now a “real” author.

Now for more bad news. If you decide to go the traditional publishing route, you will not be able to send your manuscript to any major publishers. You will need to first find an agent. In order to find an agent, you will need to prepare query letters, book proposals, and sample chapters. (You will also need this if you decide to go the small press route.) Go online and begin researching agents who represent your genre and how to write these all important marketing tools. You may want to consider hiring someone to help you write your first proposal. I did, and I had many requests for full manuscripts from agents. Agents generally charge about 15% of what they help you earn. In addition to being your gateway to the publishing world, they also provide legal advice, handle contract negotiations, and in many cases, even help you improve your writing. If you want to go the traditional publishing route, finding an agent is well worth the effort.

If you truly want to forego the agent, you have only a few options left for pursuing a major publisher. You can try to meet acquisition editors at writer’s conferences and pitch your book to them in person. Make sure you do your research and learn which editors will be there ahead of time. There are also a number of writing contests that send the winning entry to an acquisitions editor. Again, do your research. Finally, there are online services that will advertise your manuscript to editors for a fee. I personally don’t know anyone who has gotten a contract through this route.

The next way to get your writing out into the world would be to look for a small publisher, or “small press” as they are often called. These publishers do not pay large advances, and they generally do not sell as many books. On they other hand, they are more accessible, more personal, and willing to take more risks. These publishers are more likely to contract a book with a smaller market such as literary writing or an obscure genre. They are still respectable, and while they may not have the name recognition of the big companies, an author can still feel that their work has been validated and someone is willing to invest in publishing their book. Books published by small presses are eligible for all the same awards and accolades as books published by large publishers. In addition, the author tends to have more input, and in many cases, earns higher royalties. While an agent can still be helpful, many small presses will accept queries and proposals directly from authors. You can find lists of small presses in The Writer's Market and The Christian Writers' Market Guide. Be careful to follow their submission guidelines to the letter. Same is true when submitting to agents. Please remember that a reputable small press will not charge you a penny to publish your book.

The final way to publish a book is “self-publishing” or “vanity publishing.” This should not be a first choice, because in addition to the cost, it is not as respectable and could actually hurt the author’s reputation. However, there are instances in which self-publishing can be a good idea. If you are a pastor, public speaker, or well-known in your field and write a nonfiction book in your area of expertise, self-publishing can be a good option because you already have an audience and the name recognition to sell books on your own. You keep a much higher percentage of the profit when you publish your own book, so if you already have access to an audience, this can be a wise business decision. Self-publishing is a great idea if you primarily wish to distribute your book among family and friends. Finally, in rare instance where a book has no clear genre or an unpopular genre, self-publishing might be the only way to get it off the ground. I can only think of one example, but it’s a doozy. The Shack is a bizarre Christian allegorical novel that started as a self-published book and went on to make the New York Times best-seller list and millions of dollars.

If you decide to self-publish, again, do your research and make sure you are getting a good deal. WinePress and Westbow are two Christian companies reported to have good reputations. You can also do small print on demand runs or even offer your manuscript as an ebook and keep the cost low in that manner.

So, as I’m sure you can see, no matter which route you go, you will need to learn the business side of being an author. Writer’s networks and conferences are great places to learn the tricks of the trade. Christian conferences and loops will provide information specific to Christian publishing.

And, as I’ve mentioned, even once you have the illusive contract in hand, most publishers will still ask that you be active in marketing and promoting yourself. This is something you can actually begin now through methods like a website, blogging, and being active on social networks such as Facebook. Once your book is published, you can also consider methods like book launch parties, book signings, interviews, and speaking engagements.

As always, what I’ve shared here is just the tip of the iceberg for getting your writing out into the world. You can see it’s a lot of hard work, but if God has truly laid this message on your heart, then it will be well worth the endeavor. Writers go through the pain of writing and editing because they need to write. They go through the pain of publishing because they need someone to read what they have written.

So, I hope that in these eight weeks I have given you a picture of how a book is brought into being--from the idea stage, through all the hard work of writing and editing, and now out into the world. For many of you, this has probably been a reality check on how hard writing actually is. For some, it has provided a much needed roadmap for a journey you long to take. For yet others, it has helped you to spot areas in your writing process that can be honed and strengthened in order to take you to that next step. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did learning about “The Inspiration and the Perspiration.”

Homework: Finish that book and get it out into the world!

Editing Line by Line and Word by Word - Writing Series Week 7

2010-08-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

Before we move into today’s subject let’s take a minute to review the full process of inspiration and perspiration. First, we must have a good handle on what Christian writing is and our purpose for undertaking this task. Next, we purposely posture ourselves to receive inspiration from the Holy Spirit in the shape of our “lump of clay” writing. If we already have an idea, we search for input from the Holy Spirit as to what we should do with the idea. We must realize that inspiration is not enough and be willing to do the hard work, or the perspiration, of the writing process. Once we have gotten our initial ideas down on paper, we should take time to structure the ideas through an outline or a plot summary. We write the book, using fictional and artistic elements to strengthen the basic story or premise. We edit chapter by chapter and scene by scene to make sure we have utilized these elements to their full potential and balanced them well.

Which brings us to today. Just as we went through each scene to make sure it pulled its weight and lived up to its full potential, we must also search our manuscripts paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, and word by word. This is the sort of in depth crafting that is the mark of a true artist.
Here are some of the things you can look for concerning paragraphs. Are paragraphs divided properly to keep the story flowing effectively? Could long paragraphs be divided? Could sentences within paragraphs be combined for greater efficiency of language? Could powerful sentences be set apart in their own short paragraph for greater impact? In dialogue, does each paragraph represent a single speaker’s words, thoughts, and actions?

On a sentence by sentence basis ask yourself if every sentence is necessary. Could redundant sentences be removed? Is punctuation working in an effective manner? Could complex sentences be changed for stronger parallelism? Should long sentences be broken into two? Try not to use words more than once in close proximity unless you are intentionally creating a sense of refrain.

Now we get to the true nitty gritty. Word by word editing. First realize that just like in a poem, we want to use each word to its maximum benefit. I mentioned in my “Top Twenty Things I Wish I Knew Before Writing My First Novel” that you should pay yourself $.25 for every word you can remove. Economy of language is a clear sign of an experienced writer. A possible exception is in dialogue, but remember that fictional dialogue is representative speech, not actual speech. Readers will not put up with rambling ineffectual dialogue.

Here are the types of words you can look to remove. Begin with excess adverbs and adjectives. Adjectives are good when used selectively, however, don’t string together lists of adjectives with similar meanings. Chose the best one and delete the rest. Adverbs are almost a bad word in fiction, but sometimes they can be effective. Begin by removing words like "very" and "really" that don’t “really” add anything to the sentence. (I told my husband recently that maybe if he said "very" three or four times in a sentence he would convince me it was important. Note the sarcasm.) Do a find search for “ ly” and remove any adverbs that aren’t strengthening the meaning of the sentence. Try to replace an adverb/verb combo with a stronger verb if possible. When do you keep an adverb? Only when it changes the meaning of the verb and there is no verb to take its place.

Remove statements of the obvious like “stood to her feet.” Remove or replace any words you tend to overuse, or so called “weasel words.” Examples would be: just, well, still, oh, that, had. I’m sure you’ll figure out your own list before long. Remove helping verbs and linking verbs as much as possible. Of course they are sometimes needed. “Had” is needed to enter and exit that past perfect tense. If you have long segments full of helping verbs, see if you can move the segment to a more active moment. Strong action verbs that really “show” something happening are always the best choice.

And speaking of verbs, be sure to keep your book in a consistent verb tense. Most novels are written in past tense. A few are written in present tense. This is a new trend, but hard to execute. Others are written in the present tense with long sections of flashback in past tense. This can work well. When you find yourself in the past perfect (had run, had gone, etc…) tense, this is probably a recollection. If the segment is long, consider changing it to its own flashback scene. One of the clearest signs of an amateur writer is lack of control over the verb tense. So whatever you choose, make sure you do it well and consistently.

Another area to check into on a word by word basis is the accuracy of your word choice, especially in historical, legal, and scientific stories. Most writers of American and English historicals check to make sure that each word they choose existed and was used in that sense at the time they are writing. That’s a lot of work. Trust me, I know. While I couldn’t limit myself to words available in the 1300s for my medieval novel because the English language was still evolving and unrecognizable to most contemporary readers, I did make every effort to choose words available by the time of Shakespeare and King James when the language stabilized into Modern English. Even if you get the words right, watch out for longer sayings, expressions, and figures of speech. For example, I discovered the word “tackle” only applied to fishing supplies until the invention of American football in the 1800’s. And the word “teenager” is actually a modern invention as well, since people took on adult responsibilities at a much younger age throughout history.

That brings me to what most people think about in reference to editing: those hundreds of spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules. I will tell you what I tell my college students. “If you haven’t learned them by now, I’m not going to try to teach them to you.” Here’s what you need to know. If you aren’t good at English, get help. I usually ask at least five well educated friends to read my manuscripts and look for errors, and I’m an English teacher! It’s just too easy to overlook your own mistakes. If you expect that you will have extensive errors, then consider paying a copy editor. It’s not cheating to get help. You’ve written an entire book for crying out loud.

Give yourself and your manuscript the respect that you deserve by making sure it is edited well before sending it to agents or publishers. The days of publishers being willing to overlook mediocre grammar in otherwise great writing are long gone with the manual typewriter. We now have computers, spell check, online grammar resources, countless editorial services. Messy manuscripts are considered lazy manuscripts. Agents and publishers will not put up with them. There are thousands of well-written, properly edited manuscripts waiting in a pile to take their place.

Of course, after all that hard work, you will still have basic typing errors. Even most published manuscripts have a few. But try to get rid of as many as possible. The cleaner your manuscript, the happier your potential agents and publishers will be. Here are some of the steps I personally take my manuscripts through to ensure that every word is perfect.

1. Read on paper
2. Read out loud
3. Have a voice to speech program read it to me
4. Ask friends and family members to read it

And after all of that, you should finally have a strong manuscript. Then you begin part two of your very long and tedious journey. Finding a way to get that book out into the world. Come back next week as we will wrap up the series by discussing how to see your book through to publication.

Homework – take one to three pages of your lump of clay writing, and turn it into a finished product.

Resources for Writing/Editing - Writing Class Series Week 6

2010-08-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am actually vacationing in Florida with my family today. The live class at Acts 2 Church will be having a critique session. Your assignment is to share some of your writing with a supportive person or two, and ask them to evaluate it by this critique list. You could also post something you’ve written in the comment section, or email up to three pages to me at dinasleiman at gmail dot com. Type it out the normal way.

This is probably a good time to mention the importance of critique groups or critique partners. It is very helpful to find a few writers of similar expertise in similar genres to trade manuscripts with. They can help you isolate problems in your writing. They can also provide much needed encouragement. However, the wrong sort of critiquers can be discouraging, even harmful. So take time to look into your options and check out possible critiquers before jumping into anything. I wrote my first novel without critique partners. But, I paid a writing coach to critique the manuscript, which served the same purpose. Last year when I realized I needed critique partners for my new projects, I slowly courted a few women in my writer's groups until I found the right ones. I'm thrilled with my critique partners, and I've learned and grown so much through both their comments and suggestions, and through critiquing their writing. It's certainly something to look into.

Critique groups can be local or online. I like my online critiquers because they share my love for Christ, history, romance, and literature. That would be hard to find on a local basis. Also, critiques can vary from general comments and encouragement to detailed line editing, so be sure to communicate your needs and desires as well as where you are in the writing process with your critiquers. There's no point in them wasting time fixing grammar on a first draft. Finally, critiques are usually traded for critiques of similar length and scope. However, if you find the right people, you will probably become flexible on this issue.

Here's the critique checklist for this week's assignment. Since the lesson is short, I will also use it to give you my list of 20 things I wish I knew before writing my first novel, some self-editing tips, and some poetry exercises.

Critique Checklist

Please be honest, but offer positive critique to balance negative. These are only suggested questions. Use them as a springboard for your discussion.

Ideas:
Is there a clear purpose?
Is there a specific audience?
Has a specific genre been chosen?
If the author offered a plot or outline, is it effective?
Where can the plot or outline be strengthened?
What do you like/dislike about the idea?
What changes would you suggest?
What step should the author take next?

Nonfiction:
Is the thesis or premise clear?
Do they introduce the idea?
Does the body follow a clear linear or weaving progression?
Could the organization be improved?
Did the author make his/her point?
How could their support or examples be improved?
Do they have a strong conclusion?
What did you like/dislike about the piece?
Did the concept interest, inform, or persuade you?
What changes would you suggest?

Fiction Scene:
Did the author pull you into a fictional world?
What genre was it?
Did the story have character in conflict?
Was there a clear point of view?
Was the scene effective?
Which fictional elements did they use?
Which fictional elements could be added?
What did you like/dislike about the piece?
What suggestions would you make?
Did the piece hold your interest?
What is the author’s plan for the plot of the entire story?
Will this scene advance the plot?

Poetry:
Does the poem have an appealing look on the page that fits its purpose?
How does the author use sound elements in this poem?
How does the author use imagery?
Did they engage the five senses?
Is there any symbolic meaning in the images?
Do sound, image, line breaks, and look on the page work together to form a meaning?
What meaning do you take from the poem?
What did you like/dislike about the poem?
What changes would you suggest?

Top 20 Things I Wish I Knew Before Writing a Novel

1. The 15th Chicago Manual of Style is standard for fiction.
2. Industry standards have changed. You can’t write like authors from 20 years ago.
3. Write to an attention deficit society that grew up on TV and videos.
4. Think of your novel in terms of scenes. Scenes occur in a clear time and place.
5. Scenes move the plot forward and contain visual action in a present moment.
6. Plan plot beforehand by the plot skeleton or similar model, even if it will change.
7. Every line should either move the plot forward or deepen character development.
8. Cut lines and scenes that don’t do their job.
9. The ending of each scene should thrust the reader into the next.
10. Short narrative summaries are permissible if framed within a scene.
11. Description should be shown in conjunction with action.
12. Show someone moving through a scene and describe the scene that way.
13. Show someone doing an action and describe them in the process.
14. Write your sensory details into the action.
15. Your words should pull double duty as much as possible.
16. Pay yourself $.25 for every word you can remove
17. Keep dialogue segments visual as well.
18. Use action beats in place of dialogue tags.
19. Write in a distinct genre
20. Know the standards, conventions and lengths for your genre.

For the following helpful self-editing rules apply the 9 out of 10 times caveat and remember that these rules are more flexible in dialogue.

1. Do a “Find” command for problematic words.
2. Remove as many “weasel” words as possible: just, very, rather, began to, started to, that, there was, suddenly, quickly. Sentences read better without them. Also figure out and remove any words you tend to overuse.
3. Remove all adverbs from speech tags. Make dialogue or action beats do the work.
4. Remove as many adverbs as possible without changing meaning
5. When you can’t remove an adverb, check if a stronger verb would solve the problem
6. Replace passive verbs with active ones as often as possible: was, were, is, are
7. Remove helping verbs as much as possible. Try restructuring sentence.
8. For passages full of helping verbs, consider moving to a present moment
9. Remove most hads. Only use one to enter past perfect and one to exit. Had is unnecessary if passage of time indicated.
10. Remove statements of the obvious. Ex. – stood from his chair, scratched with her hand
11. Don’t use a series of adjectives that mean the same thing. Choose the strongest.
12. Remove exclamation points. The words should do the work
13. Remove as much italics as possible, all would be great.

Poetry Exercises

1. Take a picture from a magazine and write a descriptive passage focusing on creating the emotion in the picture through tone and sound

2. Choose an interesting object and describe it using all five senses, use the details to make it a symbol for something bigger in life

3. Try writing to different styles of music, write what you’re picturing in your mind, let the music influence the rhythm and emotion

4. Have one person write the first line of a poem and pass it around the room each adding a line as you go along

5. Take a descriptive passage and rewrite it in iambic pentameter. Now try again with a different sort of rhythm

Crafting Chapters and Scenes - Writing Series Week 5

2010-08-05T03:46:00.000-07:00

Last week we discussed the overall plot or structure of a book. As you begin editing your initial lump of clay writing (or as I like to think of it—word vomit), structure should be your first consideration because it affects the book as a whole and can sometimes require huge changes, or macro-editing. Next begin to look at your book on a chapter by chapter and scene by scene level to see how all the various elements are working together.

In a nonfiction book, examine each of your chapters to see if they are working as strong individual essays that prove your point. Examine your details that you use to support the point in each chapter. Could you dig deeper? Could you choose stronger examples? Could you add more story elements to bring your examples to life? Does the chapter either 1) follow a strong logical progression ending with a conclusion, or 2) follow a woven pattern ending with a strong wrap-up. Also, does this chapter tie in well to the chapters surrounding it?

For novels, scripts, biographies, and examples within nonfiction books, let’s move on to how to use artistic and fictional elements to their full potential in your writing. If you’ve never taken a creative writing course, you may have some catching up to do. Go to websites like http://www.la.unm.edu/~katem/E102fa03/fiction_terms.htm   and http://www.poetryresourcepage.com/teach/fgloss.html  to brush up on some basic fiction terms before moving on with this lesson. If you aren’t familiar with them—get familiar with them quick. And before you start weaving these elements into scenes, practice writing smaller separate pieces like conversations, descriptive passages, and character sketches.

The first thing to keep in mind when writing stories is the old “show don’t tell” adage. In nonfiction, you need to tell, but not within the actual stories. Once the story is finished, you are free to explain what you saw in it and why you chose it. In fiction, you don’t get to tell. You can, however, on occasion, let your characters do some telling for you if it’s not too heavy handed or didactic. Let’s face it, you started with an idea you wanted to share with the world. But no one likes to be preached at. Let your readers take a journey with your main character and learn and discover through their experience, not just their summation or commentary on their experience. The more “literary” the book, the less telling you can afford, even through the mouths of your characters. Literary writing expects more from the reader. In popular fiction, readers do like to hear things wrapped up for them and more clearly explained. Children’s fiction generally requires the moral of the story be presented in an overt fashion. But again remember, this is only after “showing” the story and should ideally be presented through the mouth of a character.

Next, let’s discuss scenes. In our video based society we are used to stories coming to us in scenes. In classic books you will often find characters meandering from one time and place to another with no clear break and the narrator jumping around from one mind to another. In contemporary fiction, a simple “***” takes us effortlessly from one time and place to another, and requires little or no explanation of how we got there. The reader understands that we are cutting to the vital information that moves the story forward. This allows the author to keep the tension high and the pages turning by eliminating a lot of fluff. In your own mind, you will want to figure out what happened in between and how the transitions occurred, but your reader needs only the briefest explanation and does not care about irrelevant details. As you edit, make sure that each scene is doing its job in advancing the plot and/or deepening characterization. Something vital should happen in each scene. If not, cut it. If you have a scene where nothing happens but reflection, weave the relevant reflection into a different scene. If you have a scene where nothing is happening but description of an important setting, weave it into a different scene. If you have a dialogue scene that’s interesting but nothing really happens, weave the conversation into a different scene. Every scene should have tension and conflict and end with something to thrust the reader forward into the next scene.

Are you getting the point? Of course, not every single scene requires every element. Certainly stories and examples in your nonfiction will not always need every element. However, check every scene and story for places you could strengthen it by weaving in characterization, action, dialogue, inner dialogue, and description.

As you edit your scenes, first decide if they’re pulling their weight, and if they earn staying in the book. Second, look for a nice balance of elements above. Also, look at the progression of your scenes. In a story, it is good to be continually moving in a cause and effect progression. You don’t want to say. “She entered the room and turned on the lights because it was dark.” Say, “She entered the dark room shrouded in nighttime terrors. Her hand scraped across rough stucco, searching the wall for the switch. Light flooded the room, chasing away the shadows…” In the first version, “because it was dark” stops the flow of action. In the second version, it’s actually hard to find a stopping place. One sentence flows into the next, and there’s a feeling that we must keep going. Notice how I also wove characterization and description into these simple action sentences. I even created a tone.

The fourth thing you want to look for in a scene, is a clear and consistent point of view. In a first person story or limited third person point of view, this will stay consistent throughout the book. However, still check to make sure that what they see and think is true to that character and is not your author’s voice intruding with things that they wouldn’t know or contemplate. For example, if you’re character is standing behind someone, remember that they can’t see their facial expressions. You can move them to a different vantage point, or they can comment on general body language. Likewise, a character will not comment on their own facial expressions, unless they are aware of the face they are making. You wouldn’t say, “Confusion flashed through my eyes.” You would instead describe how confusion felt in their body, or give of a glimpse into their confusing thoughts. A male POV character will not describe another guy as "cute" or "sweet."

The most popular point of view being used these days is multiple third person point of view. In this POV, each scene should take place from the perspective of a specific character. Since we’re using scenes anyway, think of this as the cameraman for the scene. We can only see what they see and hear what they hear. If we are in “close” third person point of view, we can even hear their thoughts. So perhaps this is a cameraman whispering commentary to the audience. If you are writing in multiple third person, give thought to who will be most changed or effected by a given scene, and put the scene in their POV. If during a specific time and place you want to switch point of view, that’s fine, but it still constitutes a scene change and requires a “***” break. If you aren’t sure if you are firmly in one head, try rewriting the scene in first person, then change it back when you’re finished.

As each scene opens, drop us firmly into the head, even the body, of the point of view character. Set up the scene by letting us know where and when they are. Twang at least one of our five senses so that we can see, hear, feel, smell, taste, or touch what they are experiencing. Then we will be ready to join the character in the fictional world of the scene.

You may be wondering with all this talk of scenes, where chapters come into play in novels. In this contemporary model, you don’t need to make decisions about your chapters until late in the process. Short chapters are helpful to keep your readers turning pages. They give the reader a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment and have become very popular in recent years. There are different strategies for breaking chapters. For instance, suspense and thrillers often break chapters in the middle of a tense scene. Experiment with your chapters and see what works best. Your editor may ask you to change your chapter breaks, so don’t get too attached to them.

If you have had some good literature training along the way, you may also be wondering about the omniscient point of view. For you as a beginning writer, assume it is dead. It has to do with that Postmodern mindset we studied last week. We don’t trust a single authoritative point of view anymore. Omniscient stories rarely make it to publication these day, and you don’t need that strike against you as a new author. It’s also incredibly hard to write an omniscient story well. I don’t have space here to go into all the reasons, so trust me or research it more on your own.

Let’s look at some of these fictional elements more specifically now. Characterization should be built by showing us your characters in conflict, action, and relationship. Weave their physical description into action and dialogue. Show them in relationship with other characters and show the contrasts between the characters. Let us into their thoughts, but try to let us in on what others think about them as well. Keep your main characters round. Give them complex personalities. Everyone contains the capacity for good and evil and has mixed emotions and motivations. Make sure that your characters do have strong goals and good reasons for wanting their goals.

In order to make each character individual and distinct with a consistent personality, I recommend using some sort of personality profile on your characters. I like to use the exhaustive Myers-Briggs analysis on all my main characters. There are many other systems available. Or choose a few people you know with similar personalities, and build a composite in your head from those.

Similarly, dialogue should be woven into description and action. The primary way we do this in contemporary fiction is through the action beat. Instead of always writing “he said” or “she said” or worse yet, trying to come up with hokey dramatic tags like “she complained” or “he pontificated loudly,” we simply show what the character is doing, or if in their point of view, we can share their thoughts that accompany what they just said. For example:
        “That’s so unfair.” Sharon stomped her satin slipper to the hard wood floor.
        Mike crossed his arms over his broad chest. “I’m unfair? You’re the queen of unfair.”
       “You both just need to settle down.” And stop being a couple of whiny brats. (said by the point of view character, John, who has already been established.)

Notice that each time a new person speaks or acts, we start a new paragraph. These are called action beats, and they seamlessly weave action, description, and characterization into the dialogue. Notice how we get a feminine picture of Sharon, and a strong masculine one of Mike. Notice how we see the floor and imagine the feel of stomping it in a satin slipper. Notice how we learn about all three of the characters through the inner dialogue at the end, and notice the juxtaposition of what John said against what he thought. This reveals much about him as well. Master the action beat, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming an accomplished novelist.

Descriptions of setting should also be woven into action and dialogue. Show us characters moving through and interacting with the setting. Be sure to use those five senses as mentioned earlier. When at risk of losing the POV character for a scene, plant us firmly back in their body by telling us what they feel, hear, smell, or taste. Use setting to your full advantage. Also, description can be developed into symbol. When choosing symbols for your book, look for ones that arise naturally from the descriptions of settings and characters, then develop them further. These usually make the strongest symbols.

Finally, I’m going to give you one of my favorite artistic secrets. One that not many novelists employ. Paying attention to rhythm and word choice can give your book a strong tone and voice. It also adds that final artistic touch needed for literary fiction. I especially like to give attention to rhythm in longer descriptive passage and internal dialogue. For example, in my historical novel, I use iambic rhythms, which bring to mind Shakespeare and King James. The rich rocking meter creates a real sense of beauty and music. Often, I lull you into a lovely rhythm and snap you out of it to bring attention to a specific detail. In my contemporary novel, I use crisper, sharper rhythms and shorter sentences. I have the most fun with rhythm in my narrative nonfiction. Since I am the main character, I can use rhythm in my own voice to create emotion and give you a sense of rambling or chatting. Then switch to a feel of smacking you. Quick, hard hitting points. Fun, fun, fun. If you would like to learn more about rhythm, spend some time in the world of poetry.

Homework: Write a scene. Try to incorporate character, setting, action, and dialogue in a specific time and place from a specific point of view.

Crafting for Structure - Writing Series Week 4

2010-07-29T04:59:00.000-07:00

First things first, if you glance down, today’s lesson will look very long. But feel free to read the opening segment then skip to the genre that applies to you once you reach the bold headings.

Today as we talk about form and structure in writing, I want to begin by talking about the importance of story in our contemporary culture. For the past five hundred years or so, the Western world went through a time known as the “Modern” period. Modernism was marked by rational thinking, a belief that we could know everything through science via the five senses, and clear authority structures. With the scientific and technological advances of the last 40 years or so, we have suddenly undergone a radical cultural shift into the Postmodern period. Philosophically speaking, Postmodernism poses many problems, particularly in its marginalization of truth. Okay, this topic deserves its own graduate level class, but suffice to say that like it or not, we are now living in the midst of a Postmodern culture.

The generation which has grown up in this culture, primarily those under age 35, show significant psychological shifts from the previous generation. Whereas logic and reason reigned supreme for hundreds of years, these individuals show a marked increase in their awareness of and need for spiritual realities. This can be used to lead them to Christ. However, we need to rediscover Biblical truths in light of the areas that hold sway with this generation: image, experience, relationship, and intuition.

Story is the most powerful way to communicate to this. Story employs images. It allows us to intuitively experience a situation through our relationship with the characters. In fact, there is a move these days away from systematic (logical) theology and towards narrative (story) theology. In narrative theology we imagine ourselves living out Biblical stories. We begin to see how our personal narratives fit into the grand meta-narrative of God’s story upon the earth. For more on this subject I highly recommend the book Story: Recapture the Mystery by Steven James.

Stories show us characters facing conflicts. Most stories end happily with the character overcoming the conflict. Through the story, we learn something about life. If there is no conflict, there is no story. The same basic story or plot structure is employed in everything from fairy tales to epic sagas. You have a beginning where we meet the characters and are introduced to the problem they face, a middle where the conflict escalates, a climax where the characters face their greatest struggle leading to a turning point, and the end or resolution where the story is wrapped up. For more on understanding story and story structure, I recommend A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller.

Now that I’ve given you my rant on the importance of story, I will look at form and structure in several genres of writing. What I will be presenting is merely the tip of the iceberg on each of these subjects. Please use what you’ve learned today as an impetus to continue studying and learning the writing craft in your chosen genre.

Plot Structure
In the novel or full length script we take the basic story structure mentioned above and turn it into a more elaborate plot. There are many different models available to help you plot your story. Personally, I like the “Plot Skeleton” by Angela Hunt. You can find a full article about the “Plot Skeleton” in a collection called A Novel Idea.

In the beginning of the book or script you want to introduce us to the characters, setting, and problem, but you also want to get the story going right away. Show us your main character or primary protagonist in action. This main character needs a goal, and the struggles they will face in achieving their goal will provide the needed conflict to propel the story forward. In order to get the story going, it is helpful to have this main character dealing with some sort of obvious external problem as we get to know and care about them.

Next we enter the body of the story where the character is thrust into the story world and the real problems they face. Ideally, they should face both internal and an external conflicts which interrelate. Throughout this section of the book they will face a series of conflicts or complications, each with its own miniature climax and resolution. And, as you go along the conflict and tension should continue to mount.

Finally, the character should face their darkest moment. This will propel us into the main climax for the story as a whole. If the author has done their job well, the internal and external problems should both resolve as the character faces this major turning point. They will learn something that will allow them to face their challenge. In most cases they will overcome the external problem in a way that will also resolve their internal dilemma. This leads to the ending or resolution where the author wraps everything up.

Keep in mind that in order to meet today’s current trends in novel writing, all of this should be constructed in scenes with each scene occurring in a specific time and place from a clear character point of view.

Biography or Autobiography Structure
A good biography will use a plot structure and story arc similar to the description given above for a novel or film script. The job of the writer is to find the main story arc within the person’s life and focus on that as they write the biography. Another related option would be to write the biography as a series of short stories and link them together with introduction, transitions and conclusions, moving along in a basic chronological fashion. The final option for a biography will be discussed below in the narrative nonfiction section. It is basically taking random stories and weaving them into thematic chapters.

Essay or Nonfiction Structure
The classic essay structure is introduction, body, and conclusion. In other words: tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. Most nonfiction books follow this same basic pattern. The introduction should start with something exciting to pique the readers interest in the subject. It should state the thesis or theme, and it should give a brief hint at the main points that will be covered in the essay or book. The body includes main points and details to support the main points linked by transitional sections. The conclusion restates the thesis/theme, shows how the author has proven their thesis or illustrated their theme, and sums everything up. In a nonfiction book, this essay structure should be apparent in the book as a whole. In addition, each chapter should repeat this structure on a smaller scale.

These days publishers and readers are looking for story and quality fictional elements in their nonfiction as well. A great way to supply this is to use short stories to support your individual points within the chapters. These stories could be autobiographical, biographical, or even fictional. The more artistic elements you can include, like description, character, dialogue, etc…, the more these stories will come to life. In addition to using story within your nonfiction as examples, publishers also like to see a story arc of beginning, conflict, climax, resolution in nonfiction if at all possible.

Narrative Nonfiction
Narrative or creative nonfiction is a term given to a genre which has become very popular in recent years. The autobiographical version is also referred to as memoir. This is an eclectic mix of story, nonfiction, and poetic elements. Usually these collections include random stories woven together around a central theme. Like a nonfiction book, this is generally true for the book as a whole, but also on a chapter by chapter basis. The most famous Christian example of this style is Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Other great Christian authors in this genre are Steven James and Anne Lamott.

Allow me to give you an example of how this might work from my own narrative nonfiction, Secrets of the Teddy Bear Indian Dance: Mysteries Unveiled While Spinning Between Earth and Sacred Praise. I start with an introduction about the book, why I wrote it, and a brief overview of the types of topics I will cover. My first chapter is called “Trapped in Time.” It begins with a short poem by that same title. I then introduce the topic of being trapped and give a few brief examples from my life. Scene break. I tell part one of a dramatic story where my family is stuck in a war. Scene break. I have a scripture passage about being trapped. Scene break. I offer some reflection and transition. Scene Break. I tell a different story about being trapped. Scene Break. Part two of the story in Lebanon. Scene Break. I conclude the chapter by reflecting back on how the stories and the poem link to the trapped theme and tie them together with a strong conclusion. I continue that basic pattern for sixteen more chapters. In some cases I include essays, devotionals, and even short stories. My last chapter has its own stories and theme, but also serves to wrap up the book and all the themes within the book.

The key idea of narrative nonfiction is weaving or braiding and then tying it up tight as you come to your conclusions. I like to pull ideas, images, and refrains from previous chapters to keep a sense of continuity throughout the book. Notice that in addition to including actual poetry, I am using poetic techniques of image and refrain to structure the book. I also like to have a sense of rhythm to my writing.

Note on Personal Experience Stories
Creative nonfiction books are usually based on personal stories. Anytime you use personal experience stories in your writing, be careful not to make yourself out to be the hero or the victim. You should be the mistake maker. The lesson learner. In fact, as much as possible, write yourself out of the story so that we are focusing on the theme rather than on your own amazing life. When choosing personal experience stories, try to think of moments that changed you in some significant way. Focus on what went wrong, in other words the conflict of the story. For more on this genre I recommend a collection of essays titled Writing Creative Nonfiction.

Poetic Structure
Poetry is the art of language. Poets should pay attention to four major elements as they write. 1) The look on the page. Poetry is typically written in verse, meaning that the author controls the length of the line. Spaces between segments of the poem create stanzas or strophes. Poems can be written in closed form, meaning a preset pattern or in free verse where the writer makes their own decisions about line lengths, stanzas, etc… 2) Images. All poems should offer clear images that spark the imagination through the five senses. Often through the use of simile and metaphor these images become symbols for deeper issues in life. 3) Sound. All poems should give special attention to the sound of the words. Older closed form poems use meter, a set rhythmic pattern. However all poets should pay attention to the sounds and rhythms of their words. Rhyme, or use of matching sounds, is also employed by many poets to varying degrees. 4) Meaning. Poems should mean something. They should say something about life through the interplay of image, sound, and word choice. Even choices about the structure on the page can add to the meaning of the poem. If you think a literary poem is a bunch of random, meaningless nonsense, chances are the poet was making a statement about the randomness and futility of life.

Homework: Your homework is to continue studying to form and structure of your current genre. Begin applying what you are learning to your theme or premise. If possible, create an outline or summary based on what you are learning. If you haven’t chosen a genre yet, try writing a personal experience story with a theme.

Crafting Your Inspiration - Writing Series Week 3

2010-07-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we discussed a variety of ways we can receive inspiration, including inspiration directly from the Holy Spirit. When I first began writing, I figured if God sent me inspiration, I should just record it, et viola, it would be perfect. It took a very wise teacher to convince me of the error of my ways. He pointed out that the Biblical writers themselves did much crafting and revising to turn their writing into the finest poetry of their day. I had always gotten the impression that they went into some sort of trance or God just moved their hand or something. In fact, the opposite is true. As I continued studying prophetic traditions, such a trance would be typical of Eastern or pagan religious traditions, but not Judaism or Christianity. The God of the Bible never moves without a person's willing consent.

So let’s take a look at how Biblical writers received inspiration from God. The writers of the prophetic books are especially helpful in explaining how they received their words from God. Many simply say that they heard the word of the Lord, or that the word of the Lord came to them. I assume these authors including Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Zephaniah, and Haggai most likely heard some sort of audible voice. Others like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Zechariah, and John saw visions. Daniel had dreams. Moses actually met with God face to face. Writers of the historical, gospel, and poetic books do not mention any direct intervention by God, although we know from other verses that all Biblical writing is inspired by God. It would be reasonable to assume that they recorded the moves of God they witnessed around them and the poems God placed in their hearts in a simpler manner.

Even in the case of the prophets, many including Isaiah and Jeremiah, crafted the words and visions the Lord gave them into some of the finest poetry of the ancient world. In fact, these poets are still read in secular universities across the nation because of the high caliber of their craftsmanship. Hebrew poetry uses devices such as simile, metaphor, alliteration, hyperbole, synechdoche, and merism just to mention a few. That’s a lot of work to add to a vision. I’m sure it took many long hours of writing and revising.

Throughout the Bible we can see that God uses skilled laborers who have trained and studied in their arts. In Exodus 26 and 28 he appoints skilled craftsmen to build the tabernacle. In I Chronicles 25 we see skilled musicians being assigned to the temple. God honors and appreciates hard work and training, whether it be through formal schooling, mentorship, or the direct tutelage of the Holy Spirit.

Of course, as with every rule, there are exceptions. For example, Habakkuk was not a well educated man, and in his case, God commanded him to record the message given to him word for word. "I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” ~ Habakkuk 2:1-2.

And I must confess, that as much as I advocate crafting and hard work, I have seen exceptions in my own life as well. One was a poem I wrote after receiving a hard bump on the head. It was a sestina, which is a highly structured form poem in iambic pentameter. Generally people consider these nearly impossible to write. But that day after smacking myself in the noggin, I jotted down a nearly perfect sestina in under an hour. It’s been published in its original state. Click here to see the poem and a detailed version of this story.

A longer example of an exception would be my narrative nonfiction book. I wrote that manuscript very much under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit in six days, barely stopping to eat or sleep. Because of that, I was able to stay in the flow of the anointing. Now, it did still need proofreading and editing, however, the form and structure of the book were surprisingly strong after only one draft, even though I wrote it with no outline.

But here’s the thing. Before writing that sestina, I had been reading iambic pentameter for months. I had been writing poetry all year. Before writing that book, I had been studying and practicing writing for three and a half years straight. I also studied writing in college and earned a master’s degree in the subject. So you could say I wrote that sestina in an hour, or in twenty-eight years. Likewise, you could say I wrote that book in six days, or thirty-nine years. As we apply ourselves exercising the gifts that God has given us, we become better and better conduits through which he can flow.

We will spend the next few weeks learning about the hard work and crafting we will need to apply to our books in the following areas: strategic planning, form and structure, artistic elements, and technical elements.

But before I close, I want to share some thoughts on the strategic planning stage of writing. If God has given you a simple poem, devotional, essay, etc…it does not require much time to write it down and polish it up. However, before you start an entire book, I highly recommend that you take the idea God has given you and do some strategic planning. The main goal is to figure out what God wants you to say, and who he wants you to say it to.

What God wants you to say could be called your theme—your main point. For example, the theme of my narrative nonfiction book mentioned above is intimacy with Christ. In fiction we sometimes focus more on the premise—a one sentence summary of the plot. For my contemporary novel, I began with a premise: A blonde ballerina, veiled Muslim woman, and New Age hippie chick meet over a group project on diversity. Or perhaps, especially if your idea is more research oriented, you may start with a question. As I mentioned last week, my historical novel began with a question: What is the true nature of love? Before you sit down to write a book, you should have a fairly clear idea of what the purpose of the book is. You should also know the genre. Will it be a biography, narrative nonfiction, novel? If a novel, what kind, historical, romance, sci-fi, ect…? Maybe some combination or genres? If so, which ones?

Who God wants you to give your message to could be called your audience. Who is your audience? Children, teens, young adults, middle-aged women? Christians or non Christians? Average readers or a literary audience? Authors like to think that everyone would enjoy their book, but that’s rarely the case, and publishers want you to target a specific audience. Going back to our Biblical examples, the gospels and epistles clearly demonstrate how the same message can be written with differing audiences in mind. Also note how the giftings and strengths of each writer comes through in their unique presentations of the gospel message.

Once you know your target audience and the general idea of your book, you can begin studying the rules and conventions of that genre. For instance, there are certain word lengths required for different genres. Publishers expect manuscripts in specific fonts and formats. Children’s picture books require a certain numbers of double page spreads. Theatre scripts are typed differently than film scripts. Honestly, I don’t know them all. There are too many. But you can begin learning the genres you desire to write in on your own.

Next week I’ll talk about how to take your theme or premise and begin to turn the idea into a more complex outline or plot structure. Hope you’ll come back for more. Also, later this week I’m going to put up a list of the twenty things I wish I knew before I started writing my first novel for those of you writing in that genre. In the meantime…

Homework: Do some self study into the proper format for your genre and any current rules. Think about the message God has laid on your heart. Run it through the strategic planning stage. What is your purpose, your audience, your story question, your premise, your theme? In other words, what will this accomplish for the kingdom of God?

How to Receive Inspiration - Writing Class Series Week 2

2010-07-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Last week in our “Inspiration and Perspiration” series, we discussed Christian writing and decided that it is any writing inspired by the Holy Spirit with the goal of advancing God’s kingdom on earth. Since no one disagreed with the definition, I will allow it to lead naturally into our next topic. How do we receive inspiration?

All writers need inspiration. Usually they refer to the source of inspiration as “the muse.” As Christians, our primary muse has a more specific name, the Holy Spirit. However, I don’t think we need to be overly spiritual about how we expect our muse to strike. Inspiration can come at the oddest moments.

Life events and people we meet in the course of the day offer inspiration and writing ideas. Other books and movies are great sources of inspiration. Sometimes inspiration seems to come “out of the blue.” This probably means our subconscious has been working on it for a while and spits it out when our mind is relaxed and wandering. And finally, I do believe inspiration can come directly from the Holy Spirit through seeking God in prayer. If inspiration comes in a more natural way, I would simply suggest taking the idea to God to see if it indeed came from him, and to ask for further direction.

Last week we also discussed that God is not likely to give us a fully developed book on a silver platter. He gives us a lump of clay idea that needs to be formed and crafted through hard work. So what sort of ideas should we be looking for? If you are writing a poem or short devotional, it is conceivable that the whole thing might come to you in one sitting. However, if you are working on a book, it is unlikely that the original inspiration will come to you in the form of the beginning of the manuscript.

Here are some ways your ideas are more likely to come to you. First, would be a theme, premise, or story question. For example, with my first novel, I started with a question. “What is true love?” I wasn’t sure of the answer at the time. The theme of the book later became, “True love is found in and flows from God.” Or, I could have started with the premise, which has more to do with the details of the story. “Haunting memories hinder a medieval peasant girl’s quest for true love.”

From there, I went on to an outline, which was inspired by a Eugene O’Neil play I read in high school where a woman goes through a series of relationships with various men in search of true love. I believe this plot outline was indeed a gift from God, because as I’ve continued in my writing career, plots don’t come naturally to me. A plot or outline could be the first idea to come to you.

Some people may begin with the idea for a character or setting. Write them down. Do a character sketch or a descriptive writing. A passage of dialogue, otherwise known as a conversation, is another great place to start. You might begin with a full blown chapter or scene, but it might come from a random place in the book. Again, don’t expect to start in the beginning.

In the fiction world, we talk about the difference between pantsters and plotters. Pansters just start writing and see where the story and characters will organically take them. Some great writers are professed pantsters, but they also admit they need to do a lot of work on the outline in later revisions. Plotters plan beforehand. I’m sure the same is true of nonfiction. Some authors plan, some fly by the seat of their pants. I consider myself a combination. Usually, I start with an idea. Write a few chapters to meet the characters and familiarize myself with the story. Then I stop and outline so I can work more strategically and not waste time.

The bane of the writing profession is something called writer’s block. Personally, I don’t do writer’s block. Writer’s block occurs when you try to write without having inspiration, which I won’t even attempt. This scripture perfectly embodies how I write, and how I strive to live. It's from Matthew 11:28-30 in the Message translation. "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

So the ideal goal is to allow our lives and our writing to flow freely and lightly from the spirit of God within us. But in case you do struggle with writer's block, here are some great tips for overcoming it. 1) Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, research, etc… Any of those will switch you out of your right brained creativity and into your left brained logic. Deal with them later. 2) Don’t start at the beginning. 3) Just pick up a pencil and write any crazy thing in your head without filtering it. 4) Brainstorm. 5) Do a physical activity or mundane chore that will leave your mind free to wander. 6) Exercise. The extra oxygen intake is good for your mind. 7) Spend time in nature. 8) Listen to music. 9) Pray. 10) Take a nap and allow your subconcious to work.

Again, remember that the Holy Spirit is our primary muse. We as writers need to “court the muse,” meaning actively invite it and seek to interact with it. Here are ideas for receiving writing inspiration directly from the Holy Spirit in prayer. Notice that they incorporate many of the tips above. Also, I should mention that these are great methods for communicating with God and hearing his voice concerning any issue in your life.

First, you must “be still” as Psalm 46:10 teaches. It is important to pause from the madness of your busy day, to quiet your spinning mind, and to give God your full attention. Take some slow deep breaths, perhaps listen to worship music, read or quote some encouraging scriptures, spend a few moments out in nature. Once you feel calm, focus your thoughts upon God, praise and thank Him, tell Him how much you love Him, meditate upon Him. Remember that the kingdom of God is within you. The spirit of God resides in your heart. So you must put aside outward distractions and turn inward to find him. God is always speaking, but our job is to be quiet enough to listen.

I realize the word “meditate” has taken a bad rap in some Christian circles, and not without good reason, but repeatedly throughout scripture we are instructed to meditate upon God and upon His word. Christian meditation should not focus upon self, and it should not be an emptying of self in order to invite some unknown entity into our beings. The point of meditating is to ponder God, to seek His face, to mull over His attributes, His wonder and beauty.

Keep in mind the Hebrew word for “meditate,” which is “hagah,” can also be translated as “imagine.” Writers have great imaginations, so engage yours in your relationship with God. Picture yourself meeting with Jesus in a favorite place. Walk together hand in hand with your Savior. Cuddle up in the lap of your Heavenly Daddy. Look deep into His loving eyes.

Next, take time to listen. God most often speaks to us in a still small voice that comes to our hearts through a spontaneous flow of thoughts, visions, and impressions. John 7:38 refers to streams of living water flowing out of us. As you meet with God allow Him to speak to you, ask Him questions, wait and listen for His answers. Don’t be afraid. Let it flow.

Now comes the important part, especially for writers. Write it down! Record what God is speaking to you on paper. Stay in that flow. At this point, don’t judge what you’re writing for scriptural accuracy. Don’t worry about grammar, syntax or spelling. Don't try to figure out if the idea has the marketing potential to become the next bestseller. Just get it onto the paper. That way, it's yours. You can always go back to it later. You can also test it against God’s word or even show it to your spiritual advisors if you feel uncertain about anything you've written.

Next week we will talk more about how the Biblical authors received inspiration and how they crafted that inspiration into writing which is still revered as some of the finest literature of its time.

I will finish with mentioning that after I did some lump of clay writing on my first novel, I stuck the notebook in a drawer for five years. During that time I taught school, researched the medieval time period, and had another baby. But when I was ready to write, everything was still there and waiting for me. So I repeat, whatever God is speaking to you, be it an idea, scene, or outline, write it down!

For more information about communicating with God, I highly recommend How to Hear God’s Voice by Mark Virkler and other related resources available on his website at http://cwgministries.org/

Homework: Spend time actively listening to God this week. It’s possible that if you’ve been out of touch with him for a while, you may end up talking about more important things than your writing career. If so, that’s fine. But write down whatever he is speaking to you. And if possible, begin some lump of clay writing on the idea you wish to work on during the eight week class.

What is Christian Writing? - Writing Class Series Week 1

2010-07-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to "The Inspiration and the Perspiration." This online class is designed to help you seek God for creative inspiration and develop that lump of clay through the writing process to a publishable book. Pull up a desk and make yourself at home. Our topic this week is, "What is Christian Writing?"

In order to discuss what "Christian Writing" is, we must first ask a more basic question. "What is Writing?" To be all academic for a moment, writing is a symbolic activity of meaning making. So what in the heck does that mean? First of all, words are symbols. If I hand you the letters d, o, and g, I am not handing you a dog. I am handing you three letters that make a word. We all understand that the letter symbols d, o, and g together make up the word dog, and that the word dog represents a furry four-legged creature of the canine family. Or maybe it represents an ugly female...hmm. Not a very nice meaning, but the word could be taken that way. It could mean a scary doberman baring his fangs, or a cuddly little puppy.

Are you starting to get the picture? Letters are symbols that make larger symbols called words. Words strung together begin to create meaning. Writing is a symbolic activity of meaning making. But what are we symbolizing? As writers, ultimately we are looking to communicate thoughts and ideas to our readers. As Christian writers, I hope we are sharing something from our hearts as well.

So who can be a writer? Basically, everyone has something to communicate, something to say. We are all creative beings made in the image of a creative God, and each of us has a unique voice. While a great imagination and good grammar skills certainly help, in the end I would say that most people with moderate education and intelligence can be taught to write. I think what really matters for a Christian writer is a) is God calling you to write, and b) are you willing to spend the time and hard work to become a good writer.

Now that we know what writing is and who can undertake the challenge of becoming a writer, let's get to the nitty gritty of defining Christian writing. Some people say that anything written by a Christian is therefore Christian writing. Others say that it must be geared toward a Christian audience or that it must contain an inherent Biblical message.

Francine Rivers, arguably the most famous Christian fiction author of our day, said this a few months ago on the Seekerville blog. "A Christian who writes can write anything, and not necessarily something that is glorifying to the Lord. They write for a market. A Christian writer centers their work on Jesus Christ. He is central to their story. The purpose of Christian fiction is to whet the appetite of the reader for the real thing: a relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and a passion for His Word. It’s not that one writer is better than the other. Each is called to a different purpose. A Christian who writes can still (and often does) weave their 'world view' into their stories. Their goal is to entertain. A Christian writer is focused on presenting Christ. And, of course, both want to sell books."

I'm not sure if I agree with her use of terms, but she brings up an interesting point about the difference in goals and audiences. Entertainment has to be the goal of the Christian who writes for a secular audience because the secular publisher is primarily concerned with business and making money. Although, in some instances, literary quality is also taken into consideration. Christian publishers still have to operate as a business in order to survive, but often have a heart to minister as well.

Due to the difference in audience, the Christian publisher can afford to offer books with ministry value and make money at the same time. Keep in mind that Christian publishers do expect writers to keep their books clean. This is because much of their audience buys Christian fiction in order to avoid profanity, gratuitous violence, and inappropriate sexual content.

On the other hand, I consider Christians who focus on the secular writing market to be doing a form of missionary work. While they are limited in how they can present the gospel, theirs can be a worthwhile ministry. I have a feeling Francine Rivers would agree that if their heart truly is for ministry, these individuals would qualify as Christian writers as well. So, maybe I do agree with her definition after all.

Christian writing should flow from the heart of a Christian where the spirit of God dwells. And whether overtly or subtely, it should in some way communicate God's message to the world. So now I'm going to take my own stab at defining Christian Writing. Are you ready...drum roll please...

Christian writing is any writing inspired by the Holy Spirit with the goal of advancing God's kingdom on earth.

Christian writing is, or rather should be, a writing ministry guided by the Holy Spirit. For some of you this definition may sound simple. A relief even. We have a helper along this journey and a clear purpose for undertaking it. Although we still have a long hard road of writing, revising, editing, publishing, and marketing ahead of us, we are doing this in God and through God. The pressure is off of us. If the work is of him, he will see it through to completion.

Maybe someone out there is thinking, "Great, God's going to hand me my writing on a silver platter." Guess again, buddy! You can't skip through the writing process and expect to create something worthwhile. Even the prophets in the Bible crafted their writing. We will discuss this more in week three.

But I bet for a few others joining us from cyberspace, the definition I offered sounds daunting. You're not quite sure if you know how to be led by the Holy Spirit, how to hear God's voice. Maybe you get vague impressions, but you never feel quite certain they're from God.

Well, don't worry. Next week the subject will be how to receive inspiration from the Holy Spirit. This is an issue close to my heart, which I have been studying and teaching for many years. I hope you'll come back and allow me to share my thoughts with you.

In the meantime, here are some questions for you. Please answer in the comment section below:

Are you called to write? What is your purpose as a writer?

What genre (type of writing as in nonfiction, novels, magazine articles) are you interested in writing?

What books are out there that are similar to what you desire to write?

If you're already a writer, can you hone your purpose and subgenre even more?

Homework: Continue to think and pray about your purpose as a writer throughout the week. Go online and research what is happening in your genre. What is being published today? Who is publishing it? Who is reading it? What books are winning awards? What books are best sellers? Also, please consider reading one popular book in your genre and one writing craft book in your genre over the course of the next eight weeks.

Free Writing Course

2010-07-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

Over the next eight weeks I will be teaching a free writing course at Acts 2 Church in Virginia Beach. The title is "The Inspiration and the Perspiration." Most Christian writers I know are great at one aspect or the other. Some are amazing at hearing from God, receiving deep spiritual insights, and coming up with phenomenal story ideas. Others are great at the technical elements and hard work of the writing craft. However, few make it to publication without learning both. Even then, it's hard to balance the two.

In this course I will be teaching how to seek God for writing inspiration, how to hear his voice, then how to take that lump of clay he has given you and develop it through to a fully publishable book that will find a niche in the market. Concerning the editing process, I will teach how to edit for structure, fictional elements, poetic elements, and technical writing elements. The class is intended to encourage and inspire writers to hone their goals and strengthen their ministries. It is geared toward fiction and narrative nonfiction, but will also cover basic poetry and scriptwriting techniques.

For those of you in town, the class will be on Wednesdays from 7:30 - 8:20 pm at Acts 2 Church. For those of you unable to attend, I will be blogging each week on issues related to the class. So please come back and join the online discussion.

If you would like more information about me and where I currently am in my writing journey, the short story is that I'm published in poetry, songwriting, and scriptwriting. I hold a MA in Professional Writing, and I am currently an agented, albeit unpublished, novelist. I am still working on that final step of hitting the proper niche market. (Update as of March 2011: My debut novel has now been contracted with WhiteFire Publishing and will release this year. Also, since signing my novel, WhiteFire has put me on staff as an acquisitions editor)

My Weird Taste

2010-05-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

I've been a little sad about something recently. I realized that I have very atypical taste when it comes to books. I found out that most people want a lot of action and excitement and stuff. That they don't all relish amazing characterization, stunning symbolism, lyrical prose, challenging themes, and experimental styles the way I do. I guess it comes from teaching too many literature classes and analyzing those subjects ad naseum.

I started suspecting this when I realized that not everyone shared my passion for The Passion of Mary-Margaret. And that Lisa Samson, the author of this awe-inspiring masterpiece, has been discouraged lately that her books aren't hitting the market well. I saw on facebook that she's currently taking a sabbatical from writing until she figures it out.

For the last few weeks I've been reading Christi nominated Veiled Freedom. I have been thorougly enjoying it as a cultural study and for the amazing conversations between characters, but when I told my daughter, "There's just way too much action. Stuff keeps blowing up. I might just skip those parts," she looked at me like I had two heads. Evidently she loves all the action and excitement. That's supposed to be the good part of the book.

Hmm. I was starting to question if novels were even the right genre for me.

But I have to confess, that a few weeks ago I was studying some of my plots and realizing I was missing great opportunities for kidnappings, pirate raids and the like, and that I needed to start making the most of those moments. For my first novel, I did that. What happened? My critique partner, Christine Lindsey, has been trying to nicely point out how some of my scenes don't really go anywhere, but I just wasn't getting it.

And while one of my new favorite authors, Lisa Samson, might be struggling with her purpose right now, the other of my new favorite authors, Roseanna White, seems to be doing quite well. So I thought about her story in A Stray Drop of Blood. A great straight forward plot that has lots of action interwoven with snappy philosophical conversations and amazing characterizations.

I've had the pleasure of critiquing Roseanna's new novel about one of Xerxes wives for the last month or so. Adding in a little of my lyrical prose expertise. And I think I'm finally getting how she does it. Choosing smart scenes that weave dialogue, action, description, narration, and characterization seamlessly. And yet she still gets in all those artistic elements I love.

Epiphany moment!

So, I will be working on this in my own writing. I did some big edits today, and you know what. I actually love them. They really work.

My sadness has now turned to thanksgiving. I think I've finally figured it out, and I'm looking forward to putting my new epiphany into action. Literally. Watch out publishing world. Here I come. Although, of course, I vow to remain a faithful fan of Lisa Samson and literary writing in general.

Highland Blessings by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

2010-05-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Did you know, that much like in hair, make-up, and music, trends exist in the publishing world? Oh yes, we writers are subject to “What’s Hot, What’s Not” lists as much as aspiring fashion designers.

What’s “Not Hot” in Christian publishing right now? Sci-fi, Westerns, Medievals, to name a few. In fact, I heard a report that the sales figures on Judith Pella’s one and only Medieval was half that of her normal books. Which is very sad for me, having already written one and a half medieval novels. So, I was very excited about the pending release of Jennifer Hudson Taylor’s Scottish Medieval romance, Highland Blessings, by Abingdon Press.

Highland Blessings is set in 1473. Now some may say this is too late in history for a Medieval novel, but the simple fact is, while the Renaissance began in Italy in the 1400s or even earlier, it took much longer to reach other parts of Europe, particularly the Scottish Highlands. All of the cultural elements we associate with the Middle Ages, stone castles, armor, flying pennants, are still firmly in place at this time. Add to that plaids, clan lairds and feuds, and the stage is set for a fun story similar those written by CBA author Kathleen Morgan.

Akira MacKenzie is kidnapped on what should be her wedding day by Bryce MacPherson to keep a promise he made to his dying father, in hopes of settling a long-standing fued between their two clans. He wishes for Akira to wed his brother Evan, Laird of the MacPherson’s, but when Evan is killed, the plan changes.

At first Akira is crushed to be abandoned by her family into the hands of the MacPhersons who detest her, but quickly comes to realize that they are not so different, and begins to suspect that this may have been God’s plan all along. However, Akira and Bryce both have many obstacles to overcome to achieve peace between their clans and trust between one another.

While I felt this story had some small technical issues, overall I enjoyed it very much. By far, my favorite element of this book was the spiritual aspect. Akira is truly a woman of God to be admired. She puts aside hurt and unforgiveness in order to submit herself to God’s plan. In addition, she is open to the spirit of God and known for her prophetic dreams. She speaks them forth boldly despite the danger of being thought a witch in her superstitious culture.

Congratulations to Jennifer Hudson Taylor on her debut novel. Here’s to hoping this is just the start for her career and for Medievals in general. It’s time the market took notice of this exciting and underrepresented time in history.